f 


!*•' 


SELLING 
NEWSPAPER  SPACE 

HOW   TO  DEVELOP 
LOCAL  ADVERTISING 


By 
JOSEPH  E.  CHASNOFF 


NEW  YORK 

THE  RONALD  PRESS  CO. 
1913 


COPYRIGHT,  1913, 

BY 
THE  RONALD  PRESS  COMPANY 


To 
MY  FATHER 


PREFACE 

IN  the  present  volume  I  have  attempted  to  pre- 
sent in  concise  form  a  practical  essay  on  how  news- 
paper space  may  be  sold  efficiently.  Of  the  many- 
sided  problem  in  newspaper  making  I  have  taken 
only  one  part,  that  of  local  display  advertising. 
The  selling  of  space  to  national  advertisers  is  not 
within  the  scope  of  the  present  theme.  That  sub- 
ject does  not  differ  in  some  of  its  fundamental  as- 
pects, but  it  is  one  deserving  of  separate  considera- 
tion. 

This  book  is  based  upon  a  series  of  lectures 
which  I  delivered  to  the  students  of  advertising  in 
the  School  of  Journalism  at  the  University  of  Mis- 
souri. The  fifth  chapter  is  the  result  of  an  investi- 
gation into  some  of  the  advertising  problems  of 
Missouri  newspapers.  Indeed,  the  experiences 
which  newspapers  generally  have  found  valuable  in 
developing  local  display  advertising  make  up  the 
largest  part  of  the  work. 

My  experience  as  an  advertising  "solicitor"  in 
the  metropolitan  as  well  as  the  small  town  field 
convinced  me  of  the  need  of  a  BETTER  WAY. 

If  the  book  will  give  to  only  a  few  publish- 
ers a  clearer  insight  into  the  advertising  problems 

5 


6  Preface 

of  their  newspapers;  if  it  will  offer  suggestions 
to  their  advertising  managers  in  developing  new 
business;  if  it  will  help  a  part  of  that  large  num- 
ber of  advertising  men  engaged  in  the  actual 
work  of  selling  space,  by  suggesting  the  means  by 
which  they  may  more  effectually  control  situations; 
if  it  will  stimulate  thinking  along  advertising  lines 
and  direct  men  of  aptitude  and  ideals  to  enter  the 
advertising  side  of  newspaper  activity;  if,  finally,  it 
will  be  the  means  of  bringing  forth  from  co- 
workers  other  books  on  the  subject,  then,  indeed, 
I  shall  feel  that  this  volume  has  been  of  some  real 
service. 

I  am  deeply  grateful  to  a  number  of  newspaper 
publishers,  as  well  as  their  managers  and  salesmen, 
who  have  shown  friendly  interest  and  co-operation. 
For  helpful  suggestions,  I  am  especially  indebted 
to  Walter  G.  Bryan,  of  Chicago;  and  to  Walter 
Williams,  Dean  of  the  School  of  Journalism  of  the 
University  of  Missouri,  my  former  teacher  and 
colleague. 

J.  E.  C. 

Saint  Louis,  Missouri, 
January,  1913. 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

CHAPTER  ONE 

THE  SALESMANSHIP  THAT  SERVES  .  1 1 

CHAPTER  TWO 
MAKING  A  MEDIUM 27 

CHAPTER  THREE 
CONVERTING  THE  RETAILER  .     45 

CHAPTER  FOUR 
HELPING  THE  MERCHANT 63 

CHAPTER  FIVE 

"NEW  BUSINESS" 89 

CHAPTER  SIX 

ADVERTISING  FOR  ADVERTISING  .     .     .     .115 


LIST  OF  PLATES 

PLATE     i — Does  Not  Carry  Confidence     .     71 
2 — A   Talk   on   Linens   from   the 

Woman's  Viewpoint  ...      74 
"          3 — A  Service  Idea  that  Sold  Athletic 

Goods 75 

"          4— An  Example  of  the  "Low-Price" 

Appeal 77 

5_A  Well-Displayed  Page  of  Store 

News 8 1 

6 — The  Picture  Faces  the  Wrong 

Way 84 

7 — A  Definite  and  Timely  Sugges- 
tion   93 

8— Two  Ads  of  a  Series  that  In- 
creased a  Photographer's  Busi- 
ness 33  per  cent 101 

9 — A  Dignified  Dentistry  Advertise- 
ment   103 

10 — A  Forceful  Appeal  for  the  Gas 
Range,  the  Cool  Kitchen  and 

"Mother" 107 

1 1 — An  Effective  Appeal  to  Mothers   109 
12 — How  a  Restaurant  May  Adver- 
tise       1 10 

9 

\ 


VS., 


io  List  of  Plates 

PLATE   13 — Creating    Public    Sentiment   to 

"Buy  at  Home"    .      .      .      .113 

14 — How  Canadian  Newspapers  are 
Making  Readers  More  Re- 
ceptive to  Advertising  .  .119 

15 — Soliciting    through    Newspaper 

Advertising       .      .      .      .        121 

1 6 — Increasing    Circulation   by  Ad- 
vertising Advertising  .      .      .123 
"        i7_Gives  "Reason  Why"  Women 

Should  Read  Advertisements  .    126 
"         j  8— Gives  Men  "Reason  Why"  They 
Should  Read   Clearance  Sale 
Ads     .      . 127 

19 — Focusing  Attention  on  Distinct 

Lines  of  Advertising  .      .      .131 


Selling  Newspaper  Space 

CHAPTER  ONE 

THE  SALESMANSHIP  THAT  SERVES 


AN  ESTIMATE  OF  NEWSPAPER  SPACE 

>\  DVERTISING  space  in  a  newspaper  of 
JL\.  the  right  sort  is  essentially  a  sound  and 
worthy  commodity.  The  daily  or  weekly  news- 
paper in  every  community  goes  into  the  homes 
of  that  particular  community.  The  circulation  is 
concentrated.  The  merchant  can  come  before  the 
readers  with  a  direct  appeal.  He  is  able  to  get 
repetition,  frequent  change,  and  immediate  appear- 
ance of  advertisements. 

In  addition,  the  newspaper  has  a  hold  upon  the 
affections  of  the  family  circle.  The  natural  interest 
in  the  news  and  editorial  columns  makes  the  news- 
paper an  eagerly  watched- for  visitor.  This  inform- 
ing friend  is  admitted  into  the  home  where  perhaps 
no  other  sales  forces  go.  In  these  homes,  common 
hopes,  ambitions,  and  tastes  exist.  Needs  arise.  The 
newspaper  is  the  outsider  that  is  sought  for  counsel. 

People  subscribe  to  a  newspaper  for  the  news, 
ii 


12  Selling  Newspaper  Space 

True.  But  its  advertisements  are  a  part  of  its 
news,  and  these  advertisements  reach  the  reader  in 
a  receptive  mood  and  their  suggestions  are  fol- 
lowed. Good  merchandisers  have  proven  the 
power  of  newspaper  advertising.  Retail  stores 
could  no  more  get  along  without  the  newspaper 
than  the  newspaper  could  get  along  without  the 
retail  store.  Commercial  progress  has  given  an 
enviable  place  to  newspaper  advertising.  It  is  no 
longer  a  debatable  policy. 

SPACE   VALUES 

Admitting  that  advertising  is  necessary  to  the 
welfare  of  the  newspaper,  have  we  not  been  side- 
tracked by  the  desire  to  sell  large  space  rather 
than  the  right  space?  Have  we  not  failed  to  rec- 
ognize that  the  greatest  amount  of  advertising  does 
not  necessarily  mean  the  largest  profit  ?  Have  we 
not  over-stressed  the  appeal  to  use  space,  disregard- 
ing the  real  value  to  the  consumer  of  the  com- 
modity offered?  Have  we  not  overlooked  the 
truth  that  every  advertiser  who  is  talked  into  using 
too  much  space  is  an  enemy  earned?  For  how 
much  is  business  worth  which  does  not  pay  the 
advertiser?  How  much  is  business  worth  which 
does  not  lead  to  more  business?  And  what  shall  it 
profit  a  publisher  if  he  sell  space  which  proves  un- 
profitable to  the  advertiser? 


The  Salesmanship  That  Serves  13 

This  is  the  question  before  the  newspapers  of 
to-day.  Its  answer  is  not  sending  us  to  ethics  or 
sentiment.  Good  business  sense  is  bringing  about 
an  impending  and  deeply  significant  change  in  the 
selling  of  advertising  space.  The  process  is  most 
natural. 

All  advertising  has  gone  toward  size  rather  than 
perfection.  We  have  been  too  busy  in  expansion  to 
consider  results.  We  have  had  an  appetite  for  big 
space.  Every  publisher  has  printed  big  editions 
which  did  not  pay  him  one  cent,  and  did  not  pay  his 
advertisers  any  better.  This  is  a  false  policy.  The 
life  of  a  newspaper  depends  on  advertising  patron- 
age. The  most  prosperous  newspaper  in  the  coun- 
try would  be  put  out  of  business  if  the  local  mer- 
chants withdrew  their  advertising.  It  usually  can- 
not, certainly  should  not,  get  this  advertising  unless 
it  gives  value  received — unless  it  makes  this  adver- 
tising profitable  both  to  itself  and  to  the  advertiser. 

What  the  newspaper  needs  is  better  understand- 
ing of  how  to  market  its  advertising  columns.  The 
prevailing  faults  may  be  easily  corrected.  They 
consist  of  over-salesmanship  on  the  one  hand  and 
under-salesmanship  or  copy-chasing  on  the  other. 
The  first  is  the  fly-by-night  policy  imbued  with  the 
old  idea  that  "Anything  to  get  business  for  to-day's 
issue  is  all  right."  The  second  is  the  type  of  solici- 


14  Selling  Newspaper  Space 

tation  which  contents  itself  with  "Anything  for  to- 
day?" or  "You  ought  to  have  an  ad  this  week." 
In  a  central  Missouri  town  a  publisher  sent  the  of- 
fice boy  around  to  renew  a  contract.  The  merchant 
had  been  considering  the  use  of  more  space,  but  the 
"lack  of  interest,"  as  he  expressed  it,  of  the  pub- 
lisher caused  him  to  renew  for  the  old  amount. 

Over-solicitation  and  under-salesmanship  are 
both  non-productive.  The  first  does  not  conserve 
the  soil  of  business;  the  second  does  not  cultivate  it. 
Both  are  sellers  of  space  merely.  Real  salesman- 
ship is  developmental.  It  never  "solicits."  It 
points  out  opportunity;  it  is  informative;  it  is  edu- 
cational. It  makes  old  business  pay  and  develops 
new  business.  It  is  the  salesmanship  that  serves 
vitally  the  advertiser,  and  at  the  same  time  benefits 
the  publisher  and  the  public.  Creative  salesman- 
ship is  basic  to  newspaper  permanency ;  it  will  grow 
in  importance  as  a  factor  in  advertising. 

DIFFICULTIES  IN  SELLING  SPACE 

If  the  fact  were  universally  admitted  that 
newspaper  advertising  is  an  essential  to  success  in 
business,  if  merchants  everywhere  understood  the 
selling  power  of  newspaper  advertising,  we  should 
still  need  the  creative  salesman  of  advertising  space. 
Why?  Because  of  competition?  Not  entirely. 


The  Salesmanship  That  Serves  15 

To  strengthen  belief  in  advertising?  Yes;  and  to 
point  out  new  and  specific  uses  of  newspaper  adver- 
tising. Human  nature  does  not  usually,  of  its  own 
accord,  "bring  home"  ideas.  Direct  applications 
must  be  brought  to  our  attention  again  and  again. 
Then  we  will  act. 

Since  the  salesman  plays  so  important  a  part  in 
the  sale  of  definite  visible  objects  whose  value  is 
often  determined  by  weight  or  measurement,  it  is 
obvious  that  in  selling  so  intangible  a  commodity 
as  advertising  space,  the  personal  equation  looms 
large.  It  is  a  well-recognized  principle  that  once 
a  salesman  of  typewriters,  for  example,  gets  far 
enough  to  get  permission  or  excuse  to  bring  a  ma- 
chine into  a  man's  store  or  office,  the  sale  is  half 
made.  But  the  advertising  salesman  cannot  invite 
you  to  "look  over  his  line."  He  cannot  leave  his 
space  "on  trial."  He  cannot  even  "deliver"  imme- 
diately, because  "delivery"  rests  upon  the  support 
given  him  by  persistent,  backed-up  copy.  He  sells 
"future." 

Emerson  said,  "He  is  great  who  can  alter  my 
state  of  mind."  In  selling  advertising  you  influence 
a  mind  to  influence  other  minds. 

Moreover,  as  soon  as  the  average  prospect  real- 
izes that  he  is  confronted  by  an  advertising  solicitor 
whose  business  is  to  part  the  prospect  from  his 


1 6  Selling  Newspaper  Space 

money — even  if  this  parting  is  for  the  prospect's 
own  good — he  draws  within  "a  shell  of  caution." 
This  obstacle  is  common  in  all  selling.  The 
difficulty  usually  arises  because  the  salesman  intro- 
duces his  purpose  before  he  introduces  his  proposi- 
tion. The  moment  you  say,  "I  am  a  solicitor  for 
The  Daily  News"  you  erect  an  obstacle.  Unless 
the  prospect  wants  to  advertise,  his  tendency  is  to 
think  and  to  say  "Nothing  to-day."  Our  minds  are 
quite  automatic.  The  moment  we  hear  or  see  a 
thing  the  mind  reacts;  we  make  an  evaluation  which 
is  favorable  or  unfavorable. 

The  story  of  how  a  salesman  of  pianos  overcame 
unfavorable  evaluation  and  reached  out  for  the 
point  of  contact  illustrates  the  use  of  imagination 
and  initiative — two  elements  fundamental  in  sell- 
ing space.  This,  in  substance,  is  the  salesman's 
analysis  of  his  problem,  as  told  by  A.  W.  Rolker : 

4  'If  I  could  only  devise  an  approach  that  would 
make  people  want  to  listen  to  what  I  have  to  say!' 
he  said  to  himself. 

;  Why  not  turn  the  old  method  around  and  con- 
centrate interest  on  my  goods  first,  leaving  the  firm 
to  come  in  after  I  have  my  man  interested?  If  1 
make  my  story  strong  enough,  I  need  never  men- 
tion the  word  "sale" — the  prospect  will  turn  him- 
self into  a  buyer.  My  task  is  founded  on  the  same 


The  Salesmanship  That  Serves  17 

principle  as  the  advertisement.  I  must  have  a 
strong  "headline"  to  reach  out  for  my  prospects. 
To  say:  "I'm  Bill  Brown,  of  the  Peachblow  Piano 
Company,"  never  lifted  any  woman  off  her  feet.' 

"Now,  when  the  door  opens,  Bill  Brown  opens 
with  a  catchline.  He  says : 

"  'Madam,  would  you  mind  if  we  put  a  piano 
into  your  house  free  of  all  charge?' 

"Formerly  Brown  estimated  a  hundred  door- 
bells to  land  a  favorable  response.  Before  the  new 
sales  method  was  a  week  old  the  average  dropped 
to  seventy,  and  finally  to  sixty  calls — and  sales 
were  according." 

REQUIREMENTS  OF  THE  SALESMAN 

I  asked  ten  newspaper  publishers  of  unques- 
tioned ability,  "What  is  the  strongest  feature  of 
your  best  local  advertising  representative?"  Their 
replies  sounded  the  keynote  of  what  the  salesman's 
equipment  should  be.  These  requirements  may  be 
summed  in  two  words : 

(A)  KNOWLEDGE 

(B)  PERSONALITY 

(a)  What  the  Salesman  Must  Know 
Under   knowledge   I   would    include,    first    of 
all,    a    knowledge   of   the   power   of   honest   ad- 
vertising;    next,    an    understanding    of    the    me- 


1 8  Selling  Newspaper  Space 

dium;  finally,  appreciation  of  the  advertiser's  prob- 
lem. 

A  salesman  who  is  thus  qualified  can  impart 
matters  of  interest  that  will  hold  and  impress  the 
prospect's  attention.  Any  idea  in  the  customer's 
mind  that  you  do  not  know,  any  intimation  of  a 
lack  of  authority  on  the  subject  you  present,  is  apt 
to  be  fatal  to  the  sale.  The  only  precaution  is 
actually  to  know.  A  believer  in  truthful  advertis- 
ing who  understands  and  applies  the  selling  points 
of  his  newspaper  to  fit  the  advertiser's  needs  is 
ready  to  talk  with  a  confidence  that  wins.  He  can 
present  a  new  point  of  view  to  the  merchant  about 
the  merchant's  business.  He  can  do  this  because 
his  mind  is  a  register  of  every  advertising  success 
or  failure,  and  he  understands  that  successful  ad- 
vertising is  the  result  of  close  analysis  of  local  con- 
ditions and  of  consistent  adherence  to  some  plan 
that  meets  the  conditions  of  the  particular  commun- 
ity and  the  particular  store.  Since  the  merchant 
has  not  the  time,  nor  at  first  the  interest,  the  news- 
paper representative  works  out  a  plan  that  will  de- 
velop good-will  and  increase  sales.  The  destinies 
of  newspaper,  merchant,  and  public  are  in  the  ad- 
vertising salesman's  hands.  He  can  do  more  to 
discourage  dishonest  advertising  than  the  preacher, 
because  he  knows  the  commercial  value  of  truth. 


The  Salesmanship  That  Serves  19 

Show  any  merchant  that  you  are  interested  in  his 
business;  present  ideas  that  will  "cash  in"  for  him, 
and  he  will  be  glad  to  see  you  often. 

The  harmonious  mental  attitude  between  the 
prospective  advertiser  and  the  salesman  results 
from  a  feeling  of  confidence.  Belief  always  pre- 
cedes conviction  and  action.  Moreover,  this  state 
of  mental  unity  comes  quickest  when  the  salesman 
shows  that  he  knows  and  believes  what  he  is  talk- 
ing about.  Desire  is  not  always  awakened  by  argu- 
ments. General  statements  do  not  call  images  to 
the  mind  of  your  prospect.  This  is  why  the  repre- 
sentative suggests  the  exact  size  and  idea  for  the 
copy.  The  merchant  begins  building  images  of 
increased  sales,  and  these  cause  a  feeling  resulting 
in  action. 

"Every  merchant  I  know,"  says  William  C. 
Freeman,  "and  I  have  called  on  a  great  many  in 
the  twenty-five  years  that  I  have  been  an  advertis- 
ing man,  has  always  been  willing  to  listen  to  some 
definite  plan  that  meant,  if  adopted,  the  betterment 
of  his  business." 

But  you  cannot  present  a  definite  plan  until  you 
know  the  prospect's  problem.  You  must  be  able  to 
consider  the  proposition  from  his  viewpoint.  To 
ascertain  this,  it  is  necessary  to  get  the  prospective 
advertiser  talking.  The  mere  suggestion  of  a  new 


2O  Selling  Newspaper  Space 

point  of  view  will  often  start  the  mind  working 
along  definite  lines.  Perhaps  a  question  or  two 
about  a  merchant's  business,  or  a  bit  of  information 
presenting  an  outsider's  idea  of  the  store  will  do 
this.  If  your  knowledge  of  his  affairs  is  accurate — 
if  you  appreciate  his  problems — he  will  talk  freely. 
One  publisher  estimates  the  art  of  selling  space  in 
these  four  words:  "Be  a  good  listener."  The 
American  business  man  is  glad  to  talk  about  his 
business  if  you  will  give  him  a  chance.  Confidence 
springs  from  appreciation.  Intelligent  listening 
will  find  the  point  of  contact  between  your  plan  and 
his  business.  "You  must  be  nine-tenths  judgment 
and  one-tenth  talk,  and  use  the  nine-tenths  judg- 
ment to  tell  when  to  use  the  one-tenth  talk." 

I  would  sum  successful  salesmanship  in  this  way : 
Be  an  intelligent  listener;  always  talk  the  prospect's 
proposition,  not  yours.  If  you  understand  some- 
thing of  a  man's  business,  and  know  the  possibilities 
as  well  as  limitations  of  that  business,  presenting 
the  right  plan  at  the  right  time,  the  merchant  will 
sooner  or  later  adopt  your  suggestions. 

(b)  What  the  Salesman  Must  Be 

"The  best  representative  I  have  is  a  man  who 
believes  in  newspapers  so  thoroughly  that  he  com- 
mands a  hearing  because  of  his  knowledge  and  en- 
thusiasm," said  a  publisher. 


The  Salesmanship  That  Serves  21 

There  you  have  the  second  great  requirement, 
personality.  Personality  is  the  "man  to  man"  rela- 
tion which  business  is  made  of.  In  no  work  is 
strong  personality  a  richer  asset.  The  advertis- 
ing salesman  is  judged  by  those  nice  outward  evi- 
dences of  character;  his  dress,  his  manner,  his  tone 
should  give  a  favorable  first  impression.  At  the 
core  he  must  be  honest  and  sincere.  I  have  already 
emphasized  the  fact  that  the  advertising  man  car- 
ries no  sample  case.  His  proposition  is  rated  un- 
consciously by  his  personality. 

Tact,  the  applied  science  of  putting  yourself  in 
the  other  fellow's  place,  is  included  in  personality. 
Tact  presupposes  that  the  advertiser  is  more  inter- 
ested in  making  money  than  he  is  in  making  a  com- 
panion of  you  during  business  hours.  Enthusiasm 
in  selling  is  the  expression  of  belief;  its  source  is 
knowledge  of  what  you  have  for  sale ;  the  result  of 
enthusiasm  in  the  seller  is  enthusiasm  in  the  buyer. 

In  the  make-up  of  the  creative  advertising  sales- 
man is  another  faculty.  Enterprise,  enthusiasm, 
energy,  are  splendid  qualities,  but  even  combined 
they  do  not  supply  the  place  left  vacant  by  a  lack 
of  imagination.  A  well-grown,  vigorous  imagina- 
tion is  the  key  that  opens  understanding  to  indi- 
vidual nature. 

Personality  may  be  developed  and  strengthened. 


22  Selling  Newspaper  Space 

Knowledge  can  be  acquired.     Both  together  form 
ability. 


THE  PUBLISHER'S  PART 


Before  we  can  have  efficiency,  ability  must  be  di- 
rected. Publishers  used  to  think  that  the  only  way 
to  get  business  was  to  hire  plenty  of  uleg  talent" 
and  let  it  "hit  the  line"  hard.  Now  we  are  finding 
that  this  is  only  one  of  the  important  parts  in  sell- 
ing newspaper  space. 

The  publisher,  or  his  direct  representative,  has 
an  important  inside  work.  Organization  and  co- 
operation are  two  words  the  significance  of  which 
in  selling  we  have  only  guessed  at.  A  unified  sell- 
ing force  has  a  stimulating  effect  on  each  sales- 
man. No  one  man  gets  all  the  knowledge  he  needs 
while  selling.  There  is  not  a  salesman  of  adver- 
tising anywhere,  no  matter  how  experienced  or 
able,  who  will  fail  to  profit  by  knowing  what  every 
other  man  on  the  paper  is  doing.  We  improve  and 
gain  from  the  experience  of  others  as  well  as  from 
our  own  experience. 

It  takes  picked  men  who  know  advertising  and 
have  enthusiasm  plus.  To  create  a  team-work 
spirit,  the  head  of  the  advertising  department  must 
hold  frequent  meetings  of  the  staff.  In  these  ses- 
sions, circulation,  advertising  rates,  advertising  pol- 


The  Salesmanship  That  Serves  23 

icy  and  all  problems  pertaining  to  the  getting  of 
advertising  on  the  right  basis  are  discussed.  I 
could  name  some  of  the  largest  newspapers  in  the 
country  that  hold  frequent  meetings  of  the  adver- 
tising department.  The  heads  of  these  depart- 
ments will  tell  you  that  all  salesmen  are  made  bet- 
ter salesmen  by  this  training;  and  that  the  develop- 
ment of  sympathy  with  the  spirit  of  the  newspaper 
is  worth  while  of  itself. 

Every  Monday  afternoon  the  manager  of  the 
Seattle  Times  holds  conference  with  his  advertising 
salesmen.  At  the  beginning  of  the  new  year's 
business  he  spoke,  in  part,  as  follows : 

"I  want  every  man  in  this  room  to  feel  that  he  is 
at  peace,  both  with  his  work  and  with  the  adver- 
tising community. 

"By  this  I  do  not  mean  that  we  are  to  be  lazy  or 
that  we  lack  competition.  Peace  may  be  defined  as 
orderly  activity.  The  very  sharpest  football  game 
on  record  was  possible  only  on  a  field  where  peace, 
law  and  order  prevailed.  Not  only  did  the  crowds 
keep  order  in  looking  on,  but  the  players  played 
according  to  rule. 

"PEACE  DOES  NOT  MEAN  LAZINESS;  NOR  DOES 
HUSTLING  NECESSARILY  MEAN  WAR. 

"I  want  every  man  in  this  room  to  realize  this 


24  Selling  Newspaper  Space 

feeling  of  optimism  and  permanency  in  the  minds 
of  the  management  of  The  Times,  and  make  use 
of  that  realization  in  his  work. 

"I  want  every  man  in  this  room  to  feel  that  he  is 
so  assured  of  his  position  that  he  does  not  need  to 
do  extraordinary  things.  He  need  not  make  a 
quick  dash,  nor  try  to  make  a  wonderful  record. 
Spurts  are  followed  by  depressions.  Each  of  you 
has  been  trained  through  some  years  in  the  adver- 
tising department  of  The  Times.  You  ought  to  do 
your  work  more  easily  this  year,  but  I  shall  cer- 
tainly expect  you  to  do  as  much  as  you  did  last 
year,  and  the  steady,  cheerful,  peaceful  grind 
will  do  better  than  the  rush,  the  roar,  and  the 
hurrah ! 

"I  want  every  man  here  to  feel  confident  of  the 
value  of  The  Times,  of  the  force  of  The  Times' 
management  behind  him,  and  of  his  own  ability  to 
get  a  goodly  share  of  the  advertising  patronage  on 
his  route.  I  want  him  to  feel  that,  in  case  he  loses 
a  customer  on  business  grounds,  he  can  come  into 
this  office  and  report  that  loss  without  fear  of  con- 
sequences. At  the  same  time,  I  want  him  to  real- 
ize that  if  the  department  detects  any  slack  in  the 
peaceful  and  orderly  work  which  he  should  per- 
form for  us,  he  is  in  danger  of  reduction  in  the 
ranks,  or  of  something  even  more  drastic," 


The  Salesmanship  That  Serves  25 

The  inside  work  of  making  a  strong  medium;  of 
keeping  systematically  needed  information  about 
advertisers;  of  following  up  prospective  adver- 
tisers; in  short,  of  unifying  the  whole  organization 
so  that  there  will  be  little  lost  motion;  moreover, 
the  promotion  of  business  by  advertising  for  ad- 
vertising ;  all  this  increases  the  producing  power  of 
personal  salesmanship. 

THE  ORGANIZATION  IN  ACTION 

The  publisher's  part  is  to  make  a  good  medium, 
to  back  up  his  representatives  financially  and  mor- 
ally, to  co-operate  with  them  by  keeping  them  in 
close  touch  with  the  medium,  and  supporting  their 
efforts  by  printed  advertising  to  prospective  adver- 
tisers. One  of  the  most  successful  publishers  in 
America  impresses  upon  his  representatives  the  im- 
portance of  this  truth:  "No  business  is  worth  very 
much  unless  it  leads  to  more  business.  No  year  is 
successful  unless  it  points  to  a  still  more  successful 
year."  This  is  what  real  progressiveness  means. 

The  advertising  salesman's  part  is  to  believe  in 
the  power  of  honest  advertising,  to  understand 
thoroughly  the  medium,  to  appreciate  the  problems 
of  advertisers. 

The  moment  the  publisher  and  his  representa- 
tives understand  that  their  business  is  not  to  sell 


26  Selling  Newspaper  Space 

space  merely,  but  to  make  more  business  for  the 
advertiser,  the  aspect  of  the  problem  changes.  The 
only  way  to  make  permanent  advertisers  for  the' 
newspaper  is  to  make  permanent  customers  for  the 
advertisers.  This  is  fundamental  to  lasting  profit 
in  selling  space.  It  benefits  newspaper,  advertiser, 
public.  Such  is  the  salesmanship  that  serves. 


CHAPTER  TWO 

MAKING  A  MEDIUM 


WHAT  IS  A  GOOD  MEDIUM? 

TWO  main  elements  make  an  advertising  me- 
dium— the  first,  numbers;  the  second,  the 
buying  power  of  (these  numbers.  All  advertis- 
ing media  have  some  value.  But  whether  or  not 
a  medium  can  be  profitably  used  by  an  advertiser 
is  a  question  to  be  determined  only  by  careful  an- 
alysis of  the  individual  business  and  the  particular 
medium.  It  is  well  to  understand  at  the  outset  that 
the  value  of  a  medium  is  relative,  depending  on  the 
proposition  to  be  advertised. 

For  example,  automobiles  cannot  be  sold  through 
a  medium  reaching  only  families  whose  earnings 
average  $2  a  day,  even  if  the  circulation  is  a  mil- 
lion. On  the  other  hand,  the  same  medium  could 
sell  a  cheap  commodity  at  less  cost  than  a  medium 
which  had  a  small,  select  circulation.  The  adver- 
tiser, then,  must  judge  a  medium  by  the  number 
of  possible  buyers  of  his  goods  which  the  medium 
reaches. 

In  general,  the  local  merchants  of  small  towns 
and  the  majority  of  advertisers  in  cities  seek  largely 

27 


28  Selling  Newspaper  Space 

the  same  class.  They  want  to  reach  the  largest 
number  of  substantial,  home-building  families. 
The  consideration  of  numbers  and  buying  power 
are  the  main  elements.  There  are,  however,  other 
questions  to  be  answered. 

1.  Does  the  medium  reach  the  people  within  a 
purchasing  radius  at  a   time  when  they  are   re- 
ceptive ? 

2.  Is  there  opportunity  to  repeat  the  message; 
to  make  continuous  impression? 

3.  Can   the   advertisement   be   changed   often 
enough  to  meet  ever-changing  conditions  ? 

4.  Does  the  medium  bear  the  stamp  of  public 
confidence  which  makes  the  readers  responsive? 

Measured  by  this  fourfold  standard,  we  find 
but  one  kind  of  medium  which  can  answer  "yes" 
to  all  of  the  above  questions.  It  is  the  newspaper. 

STRENGTH  OF  THE  MEDIUM 

Leaving  for  the  present  the  question  of  numbers, 
the  buying  power  of  these  numbers,  and  the  matter 
of  rates,  the  line  of  cleavage  between  the  strong 
and  the  weak  newspaper  as  a  medium  is  determined 
by  the  closeness  with  which  they  measure  up  to  the 
foregoing  requirements.  Any  consideration  of  the 
strength  or  the  strengthening  of  a  newspaper  must 
therefore  be  based  upon  these  requirements. 


Making  a  Medium  29 

i.  CIRCULATION.  The  answer  to  the  first  ques- 
tion, "Does  the  medium  reach  the  people  within  a 
purchasing  radius  at  a  time  when,  they  are  recep- 
tive?" is  to  be  found  only  in  a  circulation  analysis. 
This  should  include :  ( i )  total  daily  average  circu- 
lation; (2)  number  delivered  to  homes;  (3)  num- 
ber of  news-stand  and  street  sales;  (4)  circulation 
by  local  districts ;  ( 5 )  circulation  in  contiguous  ter- 
ritory; (6)  circulation  outside  of  purchasing  radius 
(as  in  other  states) ;  (7)  free  copies. 

Circulation  and  rate  never  tell  the  whole  story. 
All  circulation  beyond  an  advertiser's  field  of  activ- 
ity is  dead  circulation  so  far  as  that  advertiser  is 
concerned.  An  advertiser's  business  is  seldom  as 
good  in  one  local  section  as  in  another. 

It  is  true,  of  course,  that  in  every  community  it 
is  possible  to  reach  practically  every  buying  class  of 
people  through  the  newspapers.  What  the  adver- 
tiser should  look  for  in  making  his  selection  is  the 
newspaper  or  newspapers  which  have  a  circulation 
of  the  largest  per  cent  of  possible  purchasers. 

There  is  perhaps  less  waste  of  circulation  in 
newspapers  than  in  any  other  medium.  People 
within  the  town  are  within  the  easiest  purchasing 
radius.  The  great  bulk  of  the  out-of-town  circu- 
lation is  usually  among  people  close  to  the  town  or 
city  who  make  numerous  trips  there.  They  too  are 


30  Selling  Newspaper  Space 

within  the  purchasing  radius,  and  the  firms  whose 
names  are  known  to  them  are  the  firms  which 
get  their  business.  Yet  in  many  cases  the  out-of- 
town  circulation  is  useless,  partly  because  it  is  too 
far  away,  and  partly  because  the  advertiser  and  the 
newspaper  are  not  making  the  most  of  their  oppor- 
tunity. When  a  store  advertises  a  special  bargain 
price  for  one  day  only,  it  means  that  the  larger  part 
of  the  out-of-town  circulation  is  disregarded.  If 
the  newspaper  would  arrange  with  the  advertiser  to 
change  his  copy  for  the  out-of-town  edition,  using 
in  this  edition  mail  order  copy,  the  "resultfulness" 
of  the  total  circulation  would  be  greatly  increased. 
Of  course,  there  would  be  some  additional  expense 
attached  to  this  process,  but  the  medium  would  pay 
out  proportionately  better. 

The  newspaper  naturally  reaches  the  public  when 
it  is  most  receptive  to  buying  suggestions.  The 
very  act  of  reading  requires  attention  and  renders 
the  reader  open  to  suggestion ;  moreover,  his  habit 
of  looking  to  the  newspapers  for  the  news  of  both" 
people  and  merchandise  is  a  potent  factor  in  plac- 
ing him  in  a  receptive  frame  of  mind  and  adds 
materially  to  the  value  of  the  newspaper  as  an 
advertising  medium. 

2.  REPETITION.  The  second  requirement  when 
considering  the  strength  of  the  medium  is  the  op- 


Making  a  Medium  31 

portunity  afforded  for  proper  repetition.  It  is  possi- 
ble to  reach  the  same  people  day  after  day  at  lower 
cost  and  with  greater  effect  through  the  newspaper 
than  through  any  other  medium.  There  is,  how- 
ever, one  fact  which  many  publishers  do  not  esti- 
mate at  its  true  value.  When  a  newspaper  is 
printed  at  the  same  time  every  evening,  or  morn- 
ing, and  delivered  in  exactly  the  same  place,  sub- 
scribers get  the  habit  of  going  out  for  the  paper  at 
a  regular  time  and  finding  it  in  the  same  place,  and 
this  in  itself  greatly  increases  the  advertising 
value  of  the  medium.  Habit  is  but  proof  of  the 
influence  of  repetition.  The  co-operation  of  the 
circulation  department  with  the  advertising  office 
in  procuring  a  large,  solid  circulation,  and  de- 
livering the  papers  on  time,  greatly  strengthens  the 
medium. 

3.  IMMEDIACY.    Our  third  requirement,  imme- 
diacy of  the  appeal,  is  another  natural  advantage 
of  the  newspaper.    There  are  many  advertisers  who 
can  afford  only  advertising  that  will  bring  direct 
returns.     Newspaper  advertisers  have  the  oppor- 
tunity of  realizing  on  this  to  the  utmost  by  adjust- 
ing their  copy  to  ever-changing  conditions. 

4.  RESPONSIVENESS.    The  stamp  of  public  con- 
fidence is  perhaps  the  most  important  essential  in 
making  a  newspaper  an  advertising  medium.    That 


32  Selling  Newspaper  Space 

which  the  newspaper  has  for  sale  is  news — news 
of  the  day  and  news  of  merchandise.  The  news- 
paper's quantity  and  quality  of  circulation  depends 
upon  the  sort  of  news  it  prints,  and  the  reader's 
confidence  in  the  newspaper  is  built  upon  its  fair- 
ness in  printing  and  commenting  on  the  news.  And 
it  is  the  advertiser  who  profits  from  this  bond  of 
faith  between  the  public  and  press.  The  very  es- 
sence of  a  newspaper  advertising  medium  is  reader- 
support.  The  paper  that  is  made  up  and  published 
for  the  subscriber  will  get  subscriptions.  Upon 
these  subscribers  the  paper  will  have  a  hold  that 
will  make  its  advertising  space  profitable.  The 
newspaper  cannot  hope  to  establish  a  medium  in  a 
permanent  way  unless  it  properly  serves  its  sub- 
scribers. So  we  come  back  to  our  first  statement  that 
the  newspaper's  commodity  is  news.  The  strength 
of  the  medium  rests  upon  the  kind  of  news  it  sells. 
The  advertiser  should  judge  the  medium  first  as  a 
newspaper;  not  that  it  should  please  his  personal 
fancy,  but  that  it  should  secure  the  good-will  of  the 
readers. 

"A  newspaper  is  built  up  of  trust,"  says  Charles 
H.  Grasty.  "The  impalpable,  intangible,  invisible 
thing — Confidence — the  confidence  of  the  reader, 
the  confidence  of  the  advertiser,  is  the  solid  rock 
upon  which  the  newspaper  property  is  founded." 


Making  a  Medium  33 

Therefore  the  publisher  who  sells  anything  less 
than  the  truth  to  the  buyer  of  circulation  sells  his 
honor  in  the  bargain.  Good-will  of  the  people  has 
a  cumulative  value.  A  newspaper  name  may  be 
worth  a  hundredfold  more  than  all  the  property 
you  could  crowd  into  a  building. 

Since  results,  since  the  very  strength  of  the  me- 
dium depends  upon  public  good-will,  the  advertiser 
should  co-operate  with  the  publisher  to  make  first 
of  all  a  good  newspaper.  Every  honest  advertiser 
who  refuses  to  keep  company  with  the  fake  and 
the  fraud  encourages  the  publisher  who  bars  such 
advertising.  This  will  make  all  advertising  more 
effective.  "The  advertiser  who  puts  anything  but 
the  truth  into  the  newspaper  space  he  contracts  for, 
barters  his  good  name  and  the  good  name  of  the 
publisher." 

The  old  conception  of  the  newspaper  was  that  of 
a  common  carrier  of  news.  Though  this  idea  is  no 
longer  general,  many  publishers  still  view  the  ad- 
vertising columns  as  bulletin  boards  on  which  any 
man  may  spread  his  offer,  if  he  has  the  price.  How- 
ever, fewer  newspapers  are  now  accepting  the  ad- 
vertising of  fake  financial  promoters,  get-rich-quick 
companies  and  quacks.  They  are  learning  the  com- 
mercial value  of  honesty.  The  following  history  of 
a  victim  of  the  old  theory  shows  that  one  fraudu- 


34  Selling  Newspaper  Space 

lent  advertisement  can  do  as  much  harm  as  a 
"double-leaded"  news-story. 

A  man  who  had  been  a  reader  of  a  certain  news- 
paper for  twenty-five  years,  and  confided  in  it  all 
that  time,  did  not  believe  the  newspaper  would 
advertise  swindlers,  while  on  the  editorial  page  it 
was  condemning  crookedness.  Several  years  ago 
he  bought  stock  in  the  traction  company  of  his  city, 
paying  $82  a  share  for  it.  The  company  got  into 
financial  trouble,  and  the  newspaper  led  a  persist- 
ent, bitter  attack  on  its  management.  One  day  it 
had  an  editorial  saying  that  the  street  railway  com- 
pany's shares  were  not  worth  the  paper  they  were 
printed  on.  Trusting  the  paper's  judgment,  the 
man  sold  his  stock  at  a  big  loss,  and,  trusting  the 
same  paper's  advertising  pages,  put  his  money  into 
the  stock  of  United  Wireless.  Now  the  promoters 
of  the  wireless  company  are  in  jail,  the  property  of 
the  traction  company  is  in  good  shape,  and  its  stock, 
which  is  paying  dividends,  is  selling  for  $88  a  share. 
The  victim  has  changed  newspapers. 

Not  only  should  the  advertising  columns  be 
clean,  but  it  will  profit  the  advertiser — and  the  pub- 
lisher's duty  is  to  point  this  out  to  him — to  lend  a 
hand  in  making  the  advertising  columns,  to  the  ex- 
clusion of  the  news  columns,  the  one  great  show- 
window  of  merchandise.  The  free  write-up,  or 


Making  a  Medium  35 

"puff,"  as  it  is  called,  does  not  mislead  the  reader. 
It  merely  destroys  his  confidence.  There  is  a 
marked  tendency  among  retailers  themselves  to  dis- 
count the  free  write-up.  There  is  pretty  good  evi- 
dence that  the  reason  a  merchant  wants  the  write- 
up  and  special  favor  is  because  his  competitor  gets 
them. 

The  news  of  merchants  should  be  handled  like 
other  news.  The  newspaper  should  understand  that 
no  advertising  is  worth  having  unless  it  pays  the 
advertiser,  and  the  advertiser  should  understand 
that  free  notices,  as  well  as  editorial  domination, 
lowers  measurably  the  newspaper  as  an  advertising 
medium.  As  to  this,  interests  of  the  publisher  and 
the  advertiser  are  identical.  A  good  newspaper  for 
the  reader  makes  a  good  medium.  Advertising 
that  pays  the  advertiser  pays  the  publisher  and  the 
public. 

The  same  far-reaching  policy  that  actuates  the 
editorial  department  should  control  the  advertising 
department  of  a  newspaper.  One  fraudulent  or 
exaggerated  advertisement  can  do  as  much  harm 
as  a  page  of  fraudulent  news.  The  fake  advertise- 
ment fetches  money  that  frequently  wrecks  homes ; 
it  is  even  worse  than  the  fake  story.  Both  hurt  pub- 
lishers and  advertisers  because  they  directly  hurt 
the  public.  It  is,  therefore,  to  the  mutual  benefit 


36  Selling  Newspaper  Space 

of  publisher  and  advertiser  to  make  a  good  news- 
paper for  the  reader — one  upon  which  he  knows  he 
can  rely. 

TESTING  THE  MEDIUM 

Local  conditions  vary  so  much  that  there  is  no 
universal  test  of  a  medium.  Advertisers  have  a 
right  to  know  exactly  what  they  are  buying,  and 
the  publisher  should  see  that  they  get  absolute 
facts  to  enable  a  thorough  circulation  analysis.  On 
the  other  hand,  merchants  should  not  be  blinded 
by  space  rates.  They  should  rather  bear  in  mind 
that  it  is  not  the  cost  of  the  medium,  but  the  results 
which  a  medium  brings  that  determine  its  real 
value.  A  publisher  usually  knows  what  his  space  is 
worth,  and  the  advertiser  should  understand  that 
no  newspaper  dumps  high  grade  goods  on  a  bar- 
gain counter  and  sells  them  off  at  half  price,  unless 
they  are  defective.  If  a  newspaper  sells  space 
cheap  the  advertiser  had  better  look  for  the  reason. 
The  publisher  might  with  profit  bring  to  the  atten- 
tion of  his  advertisers  the  following  advice  given 
by  an  advertising  man  who  has  had  many  years  of 
experience  both  in  the  selling  and  buying  of  news- 
paper space : 

"Don't  be  swept  off  your  feet  by  a  low  price. 
Remember  the  newspaper  man  is  a  merchant  just 


Making  a  Medium  37 

the  same  as  you  are ;  and  he  is  charging  you  what 
the  goods  are  worth.  Coffin  plates  at  a  cent  apiece 
are  cheap  if  you  have  any  use  for  coffin  plates — 
but  have  you?" 

Usually  there  is  as  much  difference  between  the 
results  from  a  ten  cent  an  inch  and  a  fifty  cent  an 
inch  paper  as  there  is  between  a  ten  dollar  suit  of 
clothes  and  a  fifty  dollar  suit.  In  one  Missouri 
town  a  real-estate  firm  advertised  in  a  paper  which 
had  a  ten  cent  rate;  the  contemporary's  rate  was 
twenty-five  cents.  After  advertising  in  the  former 
medium  for  a  while  the  twenty-five  cent  paper  was 
given  a  trial.  Later  the  real-estate  advertiser  went 
to  the  twenty-five  cent  paper  and  said,  "We  had 
been  getting  only  ten  cents  worth;  we  are  getting 
twenty-five  cents  worth  now."  A  lesson  was 
learned. 

A  circulation  analysis  may  decide  the  value  of  a 
medium.  Other  considerations,  such  as  whether 
the  circulation  is  claimed  or  certified,  whether  it  ap- 
peals to  the  better  class  or  to  the  masses,  the  com- 
parative amount  of  advertising  of  all  kinds  carried, 
the  comparative  amount  of  advertising  of  the  par- 
ticular business  carried,  whether  the  paper  is  the  fa- 
vorite department  store  medium,  whether  the  paper 
carries  objectionable  advertising — all  these  points 
throw  informing  light  on  the  value  of  the  medium. 


38  Selling  Newspaper  Space 

The  one  certain  test  is  a  fair  try-out  campaign,  for 
this  determines  every  phase  of  a  newspaper's 
strength  and  weakness. 

THE  QUESTION  OF  RATES 

The  standard  of  payment  as  regards  quantity 
of  circulation  is  rate  per  agate  line,  or  inch,  per 
thousand  per  insertion. 

Metropolitan  newspapers  sell  their  space  from 
one-third  to  one-thirteenth  of  a  cent  per  line  per 
1,000.  In  Chicago  the  one-time  rate  of  the  daily 
newspapers  varies  from  one-half  cent  per  line  per 
1,000  to  one-tenth  cent  per  line  per  1,000;  the  con- 
tract rate  varies  from  one-fourth  cent  per  line  per 
1,000  to  one-thirteenth  cent  per  line  per  1,000. 

The  average  one-time  rate  of  five  New  York 
newspapers,  representing  the  average  city  type,  is 
one- fourth  cent  per  line  per  1,000;  contract  rate, 
one-fifth  cent  per  line  per  1,000. 

Following  is  a  list  of  rates  in  ten  cities  outside 
of  Chicago,  which  gives  the  total  circulation  of  the 
newspapers  representing  average  city  types,  the 
combined  rate,  the  average  rate  on  one-time  basis, 
and  the  contract  basis : 


I 


I     J 

w        vo 


I     I 


i 


I      I 


8 


3 


4O  Selling  Newspaper  Space 

An  authority  dividing  newspapers  on  the  basis 
of  circulation  into  three  classes,  as  follows:  (i) 
15,000  to  50,000;  (2)  50,000  to  100,000;  (3) 
over  100,000;  gives  the  average  rate  for  papers 
of  the  first  class  per  inch  per  1,000  circulation  as 
.0250;  the  average  rate  for  papers  of  the  second 
class  as  .0209 ;  and  the  average  rate  for  papers  of 
the  third  class  as  .0202.  The  average  rate  for 
all  three  classes  of  papers  considered  is  given  as 
.0239.  A  fair  rate  for  the  country  weekly  news- 
paper is  one  cent  an  inch  per  hundred  subscriptions. 

Sworn  circulation  is  worth  more  than  claimed  or 
estimated  circulation.  Circulation  built  without  ex- 
traneous inducements  is  worth  more  than  contest- 
built  circulation. 

Every  newspaper  should  have  a  rate  card,  and 
all  business  should  be  "put  on  the  card."  There  is* 
some  question  about  the  flat  rate  as  opposed  to  the 
sliding  rate,  but  at  the  present  time  most  news- 
papers have  a  graduated  rate  card.  The  flat  rate 
appeals  to  the  small  advertiser  and  the  new  adver- 
tiser who  do  not  know  what  their  own  propositions 
amount  to;  but  at  the  same  time  the  advertiser 
who  has  gathered  enough  statistics  about  his  busi- 
ness to  know  what  he  can  profitably  pay  for  news- 
paper space,  prefers  to  contract  for  a  quantity. 

While  there  can  be  no  question  that  the  grad- 


Making  a  Medium  41 

uated  rate  is  an  inducement  to  buy  a  sufficient  quan- 
tity of  space  and  advertise  regularly,  objection  is 
urged  against  the  written  contract  that  the  mer- 
chant does  not  always  know  how  much  space  he 
will  need.  Some  department  stores  invest  two  per 
cent  of  the  sales  in  advertising.  As  a  rule,  how- 
ever, the  amount  is  somewhat  higher,  ranging  from 
three  and  one-half  per  cent  to  five  per  cent.  The 
age  of  the  store  and  the  character  of  the  goods  ad- 
vertised should  determine  this. 

The  Philadelphia  Press  quoted  the  following 
rates,  on  a  basis  of  80,653  sworn  circulation,  for 
display  advertising : 

Daily — 20  cents  per  agate  line. 

On  yearly  contracts  of  500  lines;  1,000 
lines;  2,500  lines;  5,000  lines;  7,500  lines 
and  10,000  lines;  discounts  of  I2j4  per 
cent,  17*^  per  cent,  20  per  cent,  22^  per 
cent,  and  25  per  cent,  respectively,  are  al- 
lowed. 

Sunday — 25  cents  per  agate  line,  flat. 
(Sunday  circulation  171,778,  sworn.) 

As  a  substitute  for  the  written  contract  an  Okla- 
homa publisher  has  this  plan : 


42  Selling  Newspaper  Space 

Regular  rate,  37  cents  an  inch. 

1,000  inches,  35  cents. 


2,000  32 

3,000  29  " 

5,000  "       25  " 

10,000  "       20  " 


The  advertiser  pays  37  cents  until  he  has  used 
1,000  inches.  As  he  passes  each  mark  he  is  given 
a  cash  credit  according  to  the  rate  he  qualifies  for. 
The  publisher  says  the  arrangement  works  well. 

The  practice  of  charging  extra  for  full  position 
is  quite  common  among  the  stronger  newspapers, 
and,  in  the  competition  for  attention  among  adver- 
tisements, this  practice  is  fair  to  advertiser  as  well 
as  publisher.  Matrices,  drawings  and  etchings 
are  made  by  the  newspaper  for  the  accommodation 
of  the  patrons,  sometimes  at  the  ordinary  commer- 
cial charge,  but  there  are  a  few  cities  which  furnish 
these  free  to  advertisers.  Problems  of  competition 
usually  result  in  stripping  the  newspapers  of  their 
just  due. 

Merchants  think  that  they  object  to  the  term 
"high  rates."  As  a  matter  of  fact,  they  resent  only 
and  rightly  the  feeling  that  some  one'  else  is  buying 
space  cheaper  or  getting  more  favors  than  they  are. 
There  is  no  limit  to  rate-cutting  once  it  is  begun, 


Making  a  Medium  43 

just  as  there  is  no  limit  to  the  free  write-up.  Both 
are  harmful  to  the  publisher  and  to  the  advertiser. 
Every  advertiser  should  be  privileged  to  the  same 
rate  and  the  same  treatment  as  any  other  advertiser 
on  the  same  basis.  It  is  not  the  cost  of  a  medium, 
but  the  result  from  the  medium  that  determines 
value  to  an  advertiser. 

ONE  PRICE  TO  ALL 

The  general  public  in  a  small  town,  and  the  ad- 
vertisers, no  matter  how  large  their  city,  know 
pretty  well  how  a  newspaper  treats  its  advertisers, 
and  this  is  a  key  to  public  sentiment  regarding  the 
whole  policy  of  the  newspapers.  Only  the  one- 
rate  paper  can  occupy  a  position  of  influence  and 
independence.  Any  other  policy  is  based  on  the 
l''_^  business  slogan  of  many  years  ago,  "Let  the  buyer 
beware."  An  investigation  of  newspapers  in  Mis- 
souri showed  that  in  over  sixty  per  cent  of  them, 
and  especially  in  the  small  towns,  space  was  being 
sold  at  bargain  prices.  Nothing  will  discredit  a 
medium  so  quickly.  Before  the  advertiser  will  place 
a  high  value  on  a  medium  you  must  regard  it  highly 
yourself.  Bargain  prices,  as  well  as  "special"  and 
"confidential"  rates,  do  more  to  destroy  advertising 
than  any  other  thing. 

Another  practice  common  to  many  small  town 


44  Selling  Newspaper  Space 

newspapers  is  the  charging  of  one  price  for  foreign 
advertising  and  another  for  local.  The  local  ad- 
vertiser has  every  advantage  of  the  foreign  adver- 
tiser; he  understands  the  medium  better;  he  knows 
the  buying  power  of  the  readers;  he  knows  local 
conditions;  and  he  is  situated  more  favorably  for 
direct  returns.  The  rate  and  the  basis  of  discounts 
allowed  should  be  the  same  for  all,  foreign  or  local, 
printed  on  the  rate  card,  and  strictly  adhered  to. 

In  making  a  rate  card,  the  following  items  should 
be  remembered: 

Give  all  necessary  information  regarding  your 
paper,  as,  name  of  publication;  circulation;  name 
and  population  of  city;  character  of  paper  (morn- 
ing, evening,  or  weekly)  ;  number  of  pages;  col- 
umns to  the  page ;  length  and  width  of  columns,  etc. 
Print  rates,  stating  cash  discount,  if  any.  Save  the 
advertiser  all  the  trouble  you  can  by  presenting 
this  information  tersely  and  in  an  orderly  fashion. 
Place  on  your  rate  card  every  condition  you  intend 
to  enforce. 


CHAPTER  THREE 

CONVERTING  THE  RETAILER 

THE  PROBLEM  OF  RETAILING 

IT  frequently  happens  that  an  advertising  sales- 
man represents  a  strong  newspaper  and  under- 
stands fully  the  merits  of  his  medium;  he  may 
have  at  tongue's  end  the  special  information  con- 
cerning number  and  kind  of  subscriptions,  editorial 
influence,  rates;  yet  he  receives  little  consideration 
because  he  fails  to  fit  his  medium  to  the  prospective 
buyer's  problem. 

Since  the  retailer  is  the  greatest  distributer  of 
merchandise  in  the  world,  and  his  principal  medium 
is  the  newspaper,  the  advertising  representative 
must  first  of  all  understand  the  problem  of  retail- 
ing. Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  the  modern 
store  and  the  modern  newspaper  have  grown  up 
together,  you  cannot  sell  space  to  the  unconverted 
merchant  unless  you  can  tell  and  show  something 
that  will  be  of  value  to  him. 

In  a  word,  the  problem  of  retailing,  as  the  prob- 
lem of  all  commerce  in  this  day  of  quantity  produc- 
tion, is  selling.  To  create,  divert,  and  sustain  de- 
mand is  the  issue  paramount  in  merchandising. 

45 


46  Selling  Newspaper  Space 

Every  merchant  knows  that  he  can  get  plenty  of 
goods  if  he  has  a  rapid  outlet  for  them.  Every 
merchant  is  forced  to  buy  heavily  because  with 
present-day  high  living  and  store  competition  has 
grown  up  a  public  which  is  most  fastidious  in  its 
selection.  The  public  goes  where  it  finds  what  it 
wants.  It  seeks  well-assorted  stocks.  Even  in  the 
smaller  towns  merchants  are  carrying  larger  stocks 
than  they  ever  did  before.  At  the  opening  of  the 
season  shelves  are  filled  and  bills  are  due.  Action 
is  demanded  and  demanded  quickly.  The  buying 
inertia  of  the  customer  must  be  stimulated.  In  mid- 
dle season  buying  enthusiasm  must  be  kept  up.  At 
the  end  of  the  season  stocks  must  be  quickly  turned 
into  cash.  To  keep  old  customers  and  add  new 
ones  the  merchant  must  hold  out  special  induce- 
ments from  time  to  time.  Perhaps  in  his  commu- 
nity there  are  certain  classes  of  people  that  are  not 
buying  from  him;  perhaps  his  regular  customers 
are  not  buying  as  much  from  him  as  they  should; 
certainly  there  is  at  least  one  class  of  buyers  which 
he  has  not  fully  developed. 

Such  problems  of  selling  make  it  good  business 
for  the  merchant  to  use  every  possible  factor  at 
hand  which  will  keep  goods  moving. 

Of  course,  the  basis  of  merchandising  goes 
deeper  than  selling.  Trustworthy  goods  must  be 


Converting  the  Retailer  47 

bought  right  and  be  offered  at  fair,  honest  prices. 
In  the  main  all  stores  have  much  in  common.  Yet 
we  know  that  they  are  never  alike.  And  the  differ- 
ence rests  in  the  attention  given  to  those  seemingly 
unimportant  selling  forces,  the  "non-essentials" 
which  give  a  store  personality  and  reputation.  The 
most  valuable  asset  is  reputation — the  confidence 
of  the  customer,  the  good-will  of  the  public.  Mer- 
chandise makes  stores  alike;  service  makes  them 
different.  Both  are  essential  to  permanent  success 
in  selling.  It  is  quite  true  that  the  public  finds  out 
sooner  or  later  about  the  merchants  of  the  town. 
But  it  is  equally  true  that  in  present-day  merchan- 
dising the  storekeeper  cannot  wait  to  be  "found 
out";  he  cannot  wait  for  business;  he  must  make  it. 
In  the  list  of  selling  forces  are  honest  goods, 
courteous  sales  people,  liberal  policies,  store  ser- 
vice, window  and  interior  displays,  advertising.  In 
the  broad  sense,  every  store  is  an  advertising  store, 
because  anything  that  attracts  attention  to  a  store 
is  advertising.  Anything  that  people  find  out  about 
you  is  advertising  for  you.  But  in  the  sense  we  are 
considering  advertising  here,  advertising  is  the 
means  of  conveying  to  the  minds  of  many,  through 
print,  a  particular  message.  It  is  the  selling  force 
which  puts  in  action  all  of  the  other  selling  forces. 
It  is  the  service  which  makes  known  all  other  serv- 


48  Selling  Newspaper  Space 

ice.  It  should  never  be  considered  apart  from 
business.  It  is  but  the  dress  woven  of  all  those 
myriad  threads  of  business;  and  the  quality  of  the 
dress  depends  on  the  threads  in  the  fabric. 

Since  a  store's  advertising  is  merely  the  expres- 
sion of  what  the  store  has  to  offer,  every  merchant 
who  would  succeed  in  advertising  must  understand 
this  fact :  upon  the  store  itself  depends  the  effective- 
ness of  all  his  advertising.  What  the  store  has  to 
offer  in  merchandise,  in  price,  in  policy,  in  service ; 
the  way  a  store  satisfies  customers — these  are  the 
fundamental  things  that  make  the  one  advertiser 
successful  and  the  other  unsuccessful.  The  store 
must  be  in  fact  what  it  appears  to  be  on  paper. 

WHAT  NEWSPAPER  ADVERTISING  CAN  DO 

The  merchant  cannot  reach  the  public  person- 
ally. Yet  that  public,  to  borrow  the  phrase  of 
E.  St.  Elmo  Lewis,  "is  sensitive.  It  goes  where  it 
is  invited  and  it  stays  only  where  it  is  well  treated." 
This  makes  it  imperative  upon  the  merchant  that 
he  send  a  representative  to  extend  his  invitation. 
Of  all  the  forces  which  he  has  yet  discovered  to  do 
this  work,  newspaper  advertising  is  the  most  ef- 
fective. It  reaches  more  people  in  the  shortest 
time  at  the  lowest  cost.  It  sells  more  goods  than 
any  other  salesman,  because  it  is  ushered  into  the 


Converting  the  Retailer  49 

home  by  the  friend  of  the  family,  the  daily  news- 
paper. The  newspaper  is  a  voice  which  speaks  at 
the  same  moment  in  thousands  of  family  circles, 
carrying  faithfully  its  messages.  And  it  influences 
— not  as  the  public  speaker,  who  sways  an  audience 
by  his  oratory,  but  as  a  friend  who  comes  to  each 
individually,  speaking  quietly  but  effectively. 

The  character  of  a  store  may  be  above  reproach. 
Its  values  may  be  exactly  what  the  customer  wants ; 
yet  the  customer  and  the  merchant  may  never  meet 
unless  the  newspaper  introduces  them.  I  have  said 
that  reputation  is  basic  to  success  in  merchandising. 
It  is  only  necessary  to  point  out  that  advertising 
creates  confidence  and  builds  up  reputation.  The 
spreading  of  a  store's  reputation  would  be  slow 
without  continuous  publicity — and  so  far  as  the  re- 
tail merchant  Is  concerned,  publicity  through  the 
daily  newspapers.  If  a  store,  in  merchandising  and 
service,  is  entitled  to  reputation  to  begin  with,  there 
is  nothing  which  will  prepare  the  public  to  accept 
and  appreciate  its  merits  so  quickly  or  so  im- 
pressively as  newspaper  advertising  of  the  right 
sort.  The  B.  F.  Goodrich  Company  capitalized 
$57,000,000  of  good-will.  Good-will,  the  result 
of  advertising.  Studebaker  estimates  his  good- 
will as  worth  over  $19,000,000.  Scores  of  in- 
stances might  be  mentioned  to  show  that  advertis- 


5°  Selling  Newspaper  Space 

ing  of  a  worthy  store  holds  and  spreads  public 
good-will. 

When  one  considers  the  tendency  of  the  times 
which,  with  its  numerous  services,  has  so  greatly 
facilitated  shopping,  it  is  clear  that  the  withdrawal 
of  newspaper  advertising  would  be  a  calamity.  Its 
force  in  business  is  dynamic.  The  most  interesting 
news  of  the  day  to  a  woman  who  plans  a  shopping 
tour  to-morrow  is  in  the  advertising  pages  of  her 
evening  paper.  The  most  interesting  news  to  that 
woman  to-morrow  will  be  the  advertisements  in  her 
morning  newspaper.  No  more  striking  example 
of  the  attainment  of  newspaper  advertising  could 
be  mentioned  than  the  department  store.  The  de- 
partment store  knows  to-night  whether  yesterday's 
or  this  morning's  advertising  was  good  or  bad. 
With  it  the  purpose  of  advertising  is  simply  to  sell 
goods  and  insure  a  good  name.  It  does  this  because 
it  helps  the  customer  to  buy.  The  department 
store,  nothing  more  than  many  stores  in  one,  offers 
a  lesson  to  all  other  retailers  in  large  and  small 
towns.  It  is  at  it  always.  With  it  advertising  is 
a  business  proposition.  Moreover,  the  department 
store  knows  that  unaided  advertising  never  made  a 
permanent  success. 

This  is  a  most  important  lesson,  for,  when  you 
stop  to  think  of  it,  there  are  too  many  merchants 


Converting  the  Retailer  51 

who  have  not  learned  the  purpose  and  power  of 
advertising.  Is  it  not  amazing  that  in  the  purchase 
of  his  stocks,  in  the  employment  of  his  salespeople, 
and  in  the  conduct  of  every  other  branch  of  store- 
keeping,  the  merchant  is  guided  by  principles  of 
good  business;  but  when  it  comes  to  advertising, 
which  is  one  of  the  most  important  activities  of  his 
business,  too  often  he  moves  blindly? 

MEETING  THE  OBJECTIONS 

I  have  stated  briefly  the  problem  of  retailing, 
and  I  have  tried  to  point  out  the  place  and  purpose 
of  retail  advertising,  not  in  theory,  but  in  fact.  I 
have  tried  to  show  that  advertising  is  nothing  magi- 
cal ;  that  its  influence  rests  in  serving  as  the  honest 
expression  of  a  store. 

Now,  while  there  are  few  merchants  who  do  not 
spend  something  for  advertising,  we  must  face  the 
fact  that  there  are  equally  few  who  are  alive  to  the 
real  value  and  use  of  advertising.  As  proof  of 
this,  we  have  but  to  point  to  the  great  multitude  of 
storekeepers  who  do  not  make  the  careful  and  indi- 
vidual business  analysis  which  would  enable  them 
to  buy  advertising  space  as  an  investment  instead 
of  an  expense,  and  to  write  advertising  copy  which 
would  be  resultful ;  in  short,  to  carry  out  an  adver- 
tising program  along  scientific  lines. 


52  Selling  Newspaper  Space 

THE  PRESTIGE  THEORY 

The  first  class  of  merchants  with  whom  the  ad- 
vertising salesman  is  confronted  is  composed  of 
those  who  frankly  "admit"  that  they  do  not  need 
advertising.  These  merchants  will  tell  you,  in  all 
seriousness,  that  the  prestige  of  their  store  is  so 
strong  they  do  not  have  to  advertise.  Some  of 
them  will  tell  you  that  they  have  all  the  business 
they  want.  A  few  have  never  advertised  ,at  all,  or, 
if  they  have  advertised,  have  done  so  ineffectively ; 
yet  they  are  "convinced"  that  advertising  does  not 
pay.  An  active  contention  among  the  "prestige 
theory"  type  of  merchant  is  that  a  good  customer 
is  his  best  advertisement. 

Let  us  admit  this.  At  the  same  time,  let  us  point 
out  to  these  merchants  that  the  very  fact  of  their 
prestige  indicates  superiority  in  some  branch  of 
merchandising.  Perhaps  his  merchandise  is  of  a 
better  sort;  perhaps  his  salespeople  are  more  cour- 
teous ;  perhaps  it  is  the  personality  back  of  the  store. 
More  than  likely  it  is  all  of  these.  It  is  a  recog- 
nized principle  in  merchandising  that  it  costs  more 
to  get  a  customer  than  it  does  to  keep  one.  A  mer- 
chant with  prestige,  therefore,  can  advertise  at 
lower  cost  and  with  greater  result  than  any  other. 
If  the  merchant  already  has  prestige,  he  need  but 
tell  the  reasons  for  this  to  the  public,  and  he  will 


Converting  the  Retailer  53 

not  only  gain  new  customers  but  insure  the  trade  of 
old  ones.  The  most  valuable  thing  any  store  has 
is  its  name  and  reputation.  A  merchant  insures  his 
stock  against  fire  and  loss.  Why,  then,  should  he 
not  insure  his  name  and  reputation  ? 

Moreover,  every  merchant  must  reckon  with  the 
persistent  advertiser  in  his  community  who  is  con- 
stantly taking  business  away  from  the  non-adver- 
tiser, while  the  latter  goes  on  boastfully  claim- 
ing that  he  does  not  need  to  advertise.  I  grant 
that  people  may  trade  with  the  non-advertiser  be- 
cause they  like  him ;  but  in  this  day  of  commercial- 
ism, friendship  will  hardly  prevent  the  purchase  of 
better  values  elsewhere;  nor  will  prestige  alone  be 
able  to  stand  permanently  against  prestige  plus 
publicity.  Prestige,  unannounced,  may  stand  up 
against  advertising  for  a  time,  but  its  losses  are 
well  distinguished.  The  end  is  the  end  which  has 
overtaken  many  a  commercial  institution.  "If  I 
had  a  business  that  would  not  stand  advertising,  I 
would  advertise  it  for  sale." 

THE  CHARITY  THEORY 

In  every  community  there  is  another  class  of 
merchants  which  looks  upon  advertising  of  all  kinds 
as  a  favor  or  a  charity.  They  will  tell  you  that 
there  are  so  many  kinds  of  propositions  that  come 


54  Selling  Newspaper  Space 

to  their  attention,  such  as  the  theatre  programme, 
score  cards,  church  papers,  and  the  like,  that  they 
cannot  afford  to  use  all;  therefore,  without  rhyme 
or  reason,  all  advertising  is  a  charity;  and  on  this 
basis  the  newspaper  is  "turned  down." 

Or  perhaps  they  feel  indebted  to  institutious  or 
individuals,  and  advertising  presents  a  means  of 
returning  the  favor ;  therefore,  the  appropriation  is 
split  and  newspaper  advertising  is  deprived  of  a 
fair  show.  The  advertising  of  merchants  who  con- 
sider ks  bestowal  a  favor  is  sometimes  persistent 
enough,  but  it  is  nearly  always  of  the  "label"  or 
"card"  type.  It  may  keep  the  name  before  a  pub- 
lic which  already  knows  the  name,  but  it  does  not 
even  attempt  to  sell  merchandise.  Such  advertis- 
ing, we  may  as  well  admit,  does  not  pay.  When  a 
merchant  considers  advertising  an  expense  he  usu- 
ally makes  it  that.  He  takes  little  or  no  interest 
in  his  copy  because  he  thinks  it  makes  no  difference. 

THE  "NOW  AND  THEN"  ADVERTISER 

The  largest  division  in  our  classification  is,  per- 
haps, merchants  who  come  under  the  head  of  the 
"now  and  then"  advertiser.  These  merchants  ad- 
vertise for  various  motives.  Sometimes  because 
their  competitors  advertise;  sometimes  during  a 
"big  sale."  They  never  have  a  particular  plan; 


Converting  the  Retailer  55 

they  make  no  analysis ;  but  they  follow  reluctantly 
after  the  enterprising  merchants  of  the  town.  At 
the  opening  of  seasons,  and  perhaps  at  the  end 
of  seasons,  these  merchants  appear  with  large  ads 
for  a  week  or  ten  days.  Sometimes  they  use  the 
newspapers  heavily.  They  also  circularize  the 
town;  and  for  a  while  they  may  do  a  large  busi- 
ness ;  then  you  never  hear  of  them  for  six  months. 
Among  this  class  we  may  include  also  the  retailers, 
who  are  quite  conscientious  in  the  belief  that  they 
have  nothing  to  advertise  unless  it  is  a  special  sale. 
They  have  not  discovered  that  advertising  is  the 
news  of  business;  that  the  public  is  fully  as  much 
interested  in  knowing  about  store  service  and  in  get- 
ting buying  suggestions  throughout  the  year  as  it 
is  in  the  twice-yearly  cut-price  sale.  They  have  not 
learned  that  all  readers  are  not  bargain  seekers. 

CONTINUOUS  ADVERTISING WHY? 

To  these  merchants  the  advertising  salesman 
should  point  out  that  merchandising  is  very  much 
like  publishing  a  newspaper.  "YouVe  got  to  begin 
all  over  again  every  morning.  All  that  remains  of 
yesterday's  edition — or  yesterday's  sales — is  a  little 
added  prestige;  a  little  added  reputation." 

Last  year  the  publisher  of  a  new  weekly  news- 
paper in  a  town  of  2,000  tried  for  four  months  to 


5  6  Selling  Newspaper  Space 

get  a  merchant's  advertising.  He  called  on  this 
merchant — a  furniture  dealer — once  each  week.  At 
the  end  of  the  seventeenth  week  the  dealer  said, 
"All  right,  I'll  give  you  a  trial.  Fix  me  up  a  page 
ad  and  we'll  see  if  advertising  pays." 

The  thinking  publisher  replied:  "It  has  taken  a 
persistent  sales  campaign  lasting  four  months,  con- 
sisting of  not  less  than  seventeen  visits,  to  sell 
you  my  proposition.  Now  you  propose  to  do  in 
one  printed  talk,  which  will  probably  receive  less 
than  a  five  minutes'  'hearing'  with  the  average 
reader,  what  it  took  me  seventeen  personal  talks  to 
do.  I  cannot  conscientiously  accept  your  offer  of 
one  page.  I  will  accept  a  trial  campaign  of  seven- 
teen smaller  ads."  The  merchant  saw  the  logic 
and  sincerity  of  the  publisher.  He  is  to-day  a  per- 
sistent advertiser. 

The  merchant  opens  his  store  fifty-two  weeks 
in  the  year.  He  hires  his  salespeople  for  six  days  in 
the  week.  His  window  display  is  before  the  pass- 
ing public  every  day.  Why  should  his  whole  atti- 
tude change  when  it  comes  to  printed  publicity? 
Why  should  he  fail  to  understand  that  newspaper 
advertising  is  essentially  the  same  as  these  other 
sales  forces,  only  that  its  possibilities  to  bring  busi- 
ness are  greater? 

When   business   is   bad  they   quit   advertising. 


Converting  the  Retailer  57 

Some  one  has  said  that  is  what  keeps  it  bad.  Very 
often  it  is  due  to  this  cessation  of  advertising.  Mer- 
chants have  been  known  to  do  the  largest  volume 
of  business  during  the  months  of  July  and  August 
by  starting  a  campaign  for  business.  Vigorous  ad- 
vertising overthrows  every  dull  season  theory.  It 
clears  away  stocks,  keeps  salespeople  employed, 
pays  bills. 

One-time  advertising  pays  only  in  exceptional 
cases.  It  takes  persistent  follow-up.  The  mer- 
chant who  advertises  to-day  and  expects  business  for 
the  rest  of  the  month  has  a  false  notion  of  the 
power  of  newspaper  publicity.  Repetition  is  neces- 
sary for  response.  It  is  far  better  for  the  advertis- 
ing salesman  to  be  conservative  in  his  claims.  Let 
him  point  out  that  the  public  cannot  be  expected  to 
rush  into  a  store  in  response  to  one  advertisement. 
Moreover,  every  merchant  who  has  advertised  per- 
sistently will  bear  witness  to  the  statement  that  very 
often  the  customer  responds  without  saying  so.  In 
fact,  it  is  quite  common  for  a  customer  to  enter  a 
store  and  make  a  conscious  attempt  to  conceal  the 
fact  that  he  is  responding  to  an  advertisement.  I 
have  seen  such  men  walk  into  a  store  and  ask  to 
look  at  suits  of  clothes,  and,  after  much  question- 
ing, confess  that  what  they  really  wanted  to  see 
were  those  $30  suits  for  $22.50.  I  have  seen 


I 

58  Selling  Newspaper  Space 

women  go  to  the  handkerchief  department  in  re- 
sponse to  an  advertisement  of  15  cent  handker- 
chiefs for  10  cents.  Yet  they  would  not  ask  for  the 
article  in  this  way.  Under  such  circumstances  most 
women  prefer  to  ask  merely  for  handkerchiefs;  but 
they  are  much  pleased  when  the  salesman  shows 
them  the  handkerchiefs  which  they  have  read 
about  the  morning  or  evening  before. 

A  merchant  must  be  taught,  if  he  does  not  know 
it,  that  spasmodic  advertising  is  inefficient.  An  ad- 
vertising salesman  once  pointed  out  to  a  merchant 
who  advertised  once  a  year  that  an  engine  of  i-cat 
power  running  all  the  time  is  many  times  more  ef- 
fective than  one  of  4O-horse  power  standing  still. 

This  is  not  idle  talk  when  applied  to  advertising. 
The  so-called  advertising  graveyards  are  filled  with 
those  who  used  this  tremendous  power — publicity 
— with  4<>horse  power  campaigns  which  covered 
only  a  certain  distance  and  then  came  to  a  stand- 
still. 

'  Many  a  "i-cat  power"  campaign  is  successful 
and  growing,  because  it  uruns  all  the  time." 

The  advertising  that  pays  biggest  returns  is  the 
result  of  actively  developed  ideas  backed  by  vigor- 
ous selling  plans.  To  cut  out  advertising  entirely 
is  to  sever  communication  between  your  business 
and  the  public. 


Converting  the  Retailer  59 

A  business  will  prosper  more  if  its  advertisements 
in  the  newspaper  appear  each  day  than  if  one  ad- 
vertisement seven  times  the  size  appears  once  a 
week.  It  is  usually  best  to  start  advertising  on 
small  persistent  space. 

A  grocer  did  not  believe  in  advertising.  He 
started  on  a  small  scale  in  newspaper  advertising, 
as  he  said,  because  he  liked  the  solicitor  and  wanted 
to  see  if  advertising  would  pay.  His  five-inch  space 
in  a  daily  newspaper  was  changed  daily.  At  the 
end  of  the  first  month  he  could  see  no  effect  except 
the  monthly  statement  of  $48.  He  was  persuaded 
to  keep  on.  At  the  end  of  the  second  month  he  was 
sure  of  two  regular  customers  who  came  entirely 
because  of  the  prices  in  his  ads.  This  merchant  has 
not  missed  an  issue  for  five  years.  His  ads  are 
timely  and  forceful. 

The  population  of  a  town  is  constantly  under- 
going a  change.  The  merchant  who  lets  a  year  or 
a  month  or  even  a  day  go  by  without  advertising 
disregards  the  trade  which  the  newcomers  bring. 
Moreover,  business  is  a  day-to-day  affair.  Pur- 
chases are  made  every  hour,  and,  until  an  hourly 
newspaper  is  started,  the  daily  newspaper  should 
certainly  be  utilized  to  the  fullest.  A  little  water 
every  day  will  grow  a  plant  more  quickly  than  a 
bucketful  splashed  on  it  once  a  week. 


60  Selling  Newspaper  Space 

The  reaction  which  continuous  advertising  has 
upon  a  store  is  also  worth  considering.  When  a 
merchant  begins  to  advertise  constantly  and  persist- 
ently a  lively  spirit  is  developed  within  the  store, 
which  of  itself  produces  more  business.  It  unifies 
a  selling  organization.  It  stimulates  salespeople's 
enthusiasm.  The  spirit  of  the  store  is,  indeed,  the 
store. 

NEWSPAPER  COMPETITION 

The  advertising  salesman's  true  function  is  to 
educate.  I  know  it  is  a  difficult  matter  to  take  the 
time  and  expense  to  inform  merchants  properly; 
to  plan  and  execute  campaigns  which  will  really 
produce  results.  On  the  other  hand,  the  most  stable 
newspapers  in  the  country  are  working  on  this 
basis. 

Even  in  the  face  of  bitter  competition,  newspa- 
per publishers  should  urge  merchants  to  use  all  the 
newspapers,  together  with  any  other  forms  of 
advertising  that  a  merchant  can  use  with  profit. 
As  a  rule  there  is  a  place  for  all  the  newspapers  of 
a  community.  Competition  should  not  be  allowed 
to  be  the  means  of  destroying  advertising  stability. 
Unfavorable  criticism  of  the  other  paper  seldom 
hurts  it.  uThe  bullet  attracts  attention  to  the  tar- 
get." Be  specific  in  the  merits  of  your  newspaper 


Converting  the  Retailer  61 

when  its  merits  are  questioned;  but  do  not  waste 
your  time  talking  about  the  "other"  newspaper. 
Convert  the  retailer  to  the  idea  that  advertising  is  a 
means  of  presenting  to  the  people  of  your  commu- 
nity the  news  of  his  business  and  your  paper  will 
get  what  it  deserves.  Show  him  that  it  is  a  business 
proposition  and  that  he  should  advertise,  not  as  a 
charity,  not  as  a  duty,  but  simply  because  advertis- 
ing is  service  with  a  cash  value. 

WINNING  THE  ARGUMENT;  LOSING  THE  BUSINESS 

"I  won  the  argument;  I  convinced  him  that  he 
should  advertise  with  us;  but  I  did  not  get  the 
business." 

In  this  simple  statement  is  hidden  the  reason  why 
a  salesman  often  fails. 

You  may  convince  a  man  by  reasoning  with  him ; 
but  it  is  safe  to  say  that  unless  favorable  feelings 
are  awakened  he  will  not  act.  The  salesman  can- 
not afford  to  advance  differences,  because  in  the  cus- 
tomer's estimation  the  salesman's  good  sense  is 
measured  by  the  number  of  views  they  have  in 
common. 

Study  your  arguments  to  convince  yourself,  but 
do  not  beat  the  customer  in  debate.  Present  your 
selling  points  from  his  standpoint.  Then  he  may 
win  the  argument  but  you  will  win  the  business. 


62  Selling  Newspaper  Space 

This  does  not  imply  insincerity.  It  is  simply  adapt- 
ing your  presentation  to  the  laws  of  human  nature. 
Moreover,  you  must  believe  in  continuous  adver- 
tising because  you  cannot  forcibly  express  to  an- 
other an  emotion  that  is  not  really  felt.  There  is 
no  bound-to-succeed  method  of  converting  a  mer- 
chant to  persistent  advertising.  To  get  business  on 
the  right  basis  requires  constant  study  of  the  mer- 
chant's problem — and  the  merchant. 


CHAPTER  FOUR 

HELPING  THE  MERCHANT 


CO-OPERATION  INSURES  RESULTS 

A  MERCHANTS  test  of  advertising  is 
2jL  whether  or  not  it  brings  sufficient  results. 
It  is  an  extreme  test  but  a  universal  and  just  one. 
Seldom,  however,  will  an  advertiser  believe  that 
the  failure  of  his  advertising  to  produce  business 
is  due  to  weak  copy  or  faulty  store  service.  He 
blames  the  medium,  no  matter  if  it  naturally  pos- 
sesses tremendous  pulling  power.  And  the  news- 
paper may  find  it  difficult  to  keep  an  advertiser 
"sold"  by  arguing  that  a  good  medium  merely  in- 
sures the  right  readers;  that  results  are  measured 
by  readers  plus  the  message  and  the  manner  of  its 
presentation;  that  it  is  not  the  newspaper,  but  the 
copy — the  way  copy  is  backed  up  and  followed  up 
— which  is  really  to  blame  for  insufficient  results. 

Co-operation  is  the  only  solution  of  the  problem 
of  what  and  how  to  advertise.  It  is  here  that  the 
newspaper  can  render  service  to  the  advertiser.  In- 
deed, suggesting  live  copy  with  strong  selling  help 
automatically  converts  the  merchant  to  persistent 
use  of  the  newspaper;  it  solves  earlier  problems 

63 


64  Selling  Newspaper  Space 

of  where  and  when  to  advertise.  A  local  mer- 
chant increases  his  space  in  proportion  to  the  results 
he  obtains. 

The  local  advertising  representatives  both  in 
cities  and  towns  have  an  unusual  opportunity  if  they 
will  equip  themselves  with  an  understanding  ot 
"what  is  good  advertising?"  In  the  small  towns  a 
retail  store  can  seldom  afford  the  exclusive  service 
of  an  advertising  man,  and  the  merchant  will 
usually  admit  that  he  is  either  too  busy  with  more 
pressing  affairs  or  that  he  knows  very  little  about 
"fixing  up  an  ad."  In  the  cities  the  salesman  who 
shows  an  intelligent  appreciation  of  copy  so  that 
the  store's  advertising  manager  may  intelligently 
discuss  with  him  questions  of  appeal  and  display  is 
apt  to  be  received  favorably. 

The  advertising  salesman  brings  an  outside  point 
of  view  which  is  sympathetically  colored  by  an  un- 
derstanding of  local  conditions.  He  hears  what 
people  say  of  a  store;  he  knows  how  it  compares 
with  other  businesses.  If  his  is  the  salesmanship 
that  serves  he  is  a  valuable  man  for  any  advertiser. 
Consider  this : 

The  salesman  of  local  newspaper  advertising  un- 
derstands personal  selling,  which  is  admittedly  an 
asset  in  determining  attitudes  of  approach  in  writ- 
ing copy.  Moreover,  he  knows  his  circulation,  the 


Helping  the  Merchant  65 

interests  of  his  readers,  the  responsive  chords.  He 
is  in  close  touch  with  the!  field  of  operation  from 
every  angle.  He  is  in  a  peculiar  position  to  gauge 
returns  of  various  campaigns.  He  understands  the 
printing  equipment  of  his  office.  If  he  is  alert  to 
the  store's  needs  and  policy  he  will  give  the  adver- 
tising copy  a  fitting  personality. 

A  good  place  for  the  publisher  and  salesman  to 
start  is  by  helping  advertisers  secure  more  results 
from  the  space  they  are  now  using. 

I  have  in  mind  a  number  of  places  where  ad- 
vertising managers  are  producing  business  on  this 
idea.  In  one  of  the  towns,  Tulsa,  Oklahoma,  a 
newspaper  representative  increased  his  business 
more  than  one-third  within  six  months  by  selling 
copy  Instead  of  space. 

In  a  northeastern  Missouri  town  of  18,000  pop- 
ulation an  advertising  manager  made  it  a  practice 
to  scrutinize  closely  every  piece  of  copy,  and  in  a 
friendly  way  offer  suggestions  to  advertisers.  This 
won  their  confidence,  and  he  has  ceased  to  become 
a  "solicitor" ;  he  is  rather  "advertising  counsellor" 
to  the  merchants  of  the  town  who  advertise  in  his 
paper. 

Analyze  the  advertisements  of  the  merchants  in 
your  city  and  you  will  find  that  the  result-producing 
ads  are  written  in  accordance  with  certain  princi- 


66  Selling  Newspaper  Space 

pies,  whereas  the  failures  violate  these  principles. 
One  style  of  weak  copy  may  be  called  the  "lazy" 
advertisement.  You  see  it  in  every  newspaper  in 
every  town  and  city.  Usually  the  copy  consists  of 
the  tiresome  repetition  of  a  store's  name  with  the 
statement,  "Call  and  see  us."  Two  other  types 
quite  common  are  the  exaggerated  advertisement, 
detected  by  indiscriminate  use  of  superlatives  and 
unplausible  statements;  and  the  over-anxious-to-sell 
advertisement,  characterized  by  wrong  point  of 
view. 

ELEMENTS  OF  GOOD  ADVERTISING 

Advertising  conditions  differ  in  every  town  and 
city.  They  differ  in  every  business.  But  the  cen- 
tral idea  of  good  advertising  is  always  the  same.  It 
is  the  same  for  the  corner  grocery,  the  general 
store,  the  large  city  department  store.  The  adver- 
tisement must  be  informative;  it  must  be  honest  and 
plausible;  it  must  approach  the  reader  from  the 
reader's  point  of  view. 

STUDY  THE  GOODS.  Before  writing  a  trade- 
compelling  advertisement  the  store  in  general  and 
the  articles  in  particular  must  be  carefully  studied. 
The  ad  good  for  one  store  should  not  fit  any  other 
store.  It  should  be  individual.  The  so-called 
"card,"  quite  common  in  small  towns,  is  one  of  the 


Helping  the  Merchant  67 

best  examples  of  how  not  to  advertise.  The  adver- 
tising of  merchants  in  these  small  towns  should  be 
particularly  personal.  Many  customers  of  the 
small  town  merchants  are  personal  acquaintances, 
and  by  putting  the  dealer's  personality  into  his  ad- 
vertising his  copy  will  be  more  productive.  A  sig- 
nature cut  for  the  store  serves  as  a  trade-mark 
which  will  become  an  asset  through  persistent  ad- 
vertising. Advertising  should  be  written  only  by 
persons  acquainted  with  the  merchandise  and  the 
conditions  under  which  the  goods  are  sold.  '  Unless 
this  is  done  what  you  write  will  be  sterile  of  in- 
terest. 

Study  the  goods  in  the  store;  know  how  goods 
are  made:  read  books  on  the  subject;  learn  mer- 
chandise. Every  piece  of  merchandise  has  a  story, 
some  vitally  interesting  story.  Pick  out  the  selling 
points.  The  ability  to  analyze  a  proposition,  to 
find  its  real  strength  or  weakness,  is  a  paramount 
requirement  of  the  advertiser,  for  advertising  can- 
not be  sincere  unless  the  writer  knows  what  he  is 
writing  about. 

You  must  have  a  vivid  image  of  what  you  are 
advertising  before  you  can  give  the  reader  a  clear 
picture.  Moreover,  action  is  dependent  on  feeling, 
and  feeling  rests  on  the  images  given  the  reader. 

TELL  THE  WHOLE  TRUTH.    We  are  in  a  tran- 


68,  Selling  Newspaper  Space 

sition  period.  Yesterday  John  Wanamaker  was 
the  exception  in  retail  advertising.  To-morrow  the 
merchant  who  does  not  observe  the  Wanamaker 
maxims  will  be  the  exception.  Here  they  are : 

Advertisements  shall  be  written  only  on 
personal  inspection  of  the  merchandise. 

Tell  the  whole  truth  about  the  merchandise 
though  it  hurts. 

Speak  truly  of  the  store  and  its  mer- 
chandise. 

Conceal  nothing  the  customer  has  a  right 
to  know. 

If  cotton  is  mixed  with  wool  a  Wanamaker 
advertisement  must  say  so. 

If  the  article  is  a  "second"  it  must  be  so 
presented. 

Be  fair  to  the  merchandise  is  the  one  com- 
mand— understate,  but  never  exaggerate; 
don't  impose  on  poor  dumb  merchandise  re- 
sponsibilities that  it  cannot  bear. 

If  even  an  accurate  statement  of  the  fact  is 
so  surprising  that  it  is  likely  to  be  disbelieved 
by  the  reader,  enough  must  be  explained  of 
the  inside  news  of  the  special  offer  to  make 
it  carry  confidence. 

Give  a  reason  for  a  special  price  or  extra 
quality. 

Keep  in  mind  that  next  to  merchandise  and 
service  it  is  the  advertisement  that  adds  to  or 
detracts  from  the  store's  reputation  and 
character. 


Helping  the  Merchant  69 

Advertise  each  piece  of  goods  with  the  idea 
of  building  up  business  for  the  whole  store 
instead  of  merely  procuring  the  sale  of  one 
article. 

The  Paquet  Company,  a  large  department  store 
in  Quebec,  recently  conducted  a  "Clean  Sweep 
Sale."  Instead  of  the  customary  clearing  sale  which 
tells  of  "newest  goods  at  lowest  prices/'  the  Paquet 
store  made  this  announcement : 


WE  DO  NOT  RECOMMEND  THESE  GOODS. 
IF  WE  COULD  THEY  WOULD  NOT  BE  HERE  NOW. 

Everything  described  below  has  been  in 
stock  for  more  than  one  year,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  a  few  lines  of  staples.  We  do  not 
pretend  that  they  are  the  latest  and  most 
fashionable  goods  that  you  can  buy.  Some  of 
the  lines  which  are  subject  to  the  whims  of 
fashion  are  decidedly  out  of  style.  The  only 
reason  they  are  here  now  is  because  no  one 
wanted  to  buy  them.  In  some  cases  the  ma- 
terials are  off  color  and  the  patterns  are  bad. 
They  occupy  valuable  space  which  is  needed 
at  once  for  the  display  of  new  goods.  They 
may  not  appeal  to  you  at  all — on  the  other 
hand,  the  prices  are  low  enough  to  make 
every  item  on  this  page  a  bargain  as  the  word 
is  generally  understood.  READ. 


70  Selling  Newspaper  Space 

Then  followed  the  prices.  It  may  be  added  that 
this  was  the  most  successful  clearance  sale  this  store 
has  held  in  its  history,  although  it  is  sixty  years  old. 

A  relic  of  the  "patent  medicine"  style  of  adver- 
tisement is  shown  in  Plate  i,  taken  from  a  series 
used  by  the  Bowersock  Mills  and  Power  Company. 
Aside  from  poor  typographical  display  and  faulty 
diction,  this  ad  is  misleading.  "Grand  Free  Trial 
Zephyr  Flour  Sale/'  it  is  headed.  If  you  will  read 
the  advertisement  carefully  you  will  find  that  the 
only  chance  the  customer  has  to  get  a  half-sack  of 
flour  free  is  for  the  flour  to  go  wrong,  in  which  case 
a  woman  would  have  on  hand  a  lot  of  spoiled  bread 
and  a  "never  again"  determination.  If  it  is  true,  as 
the  ad  says,  that  this  is  the  "World's  finest  flour," 
and  "The  Only  Guaranteed  Flour,"  which  most 
readers  will  doubt,  then  the  customer  will  be  dis- 
appointed because  she  gets  nothing  free.  In  either 
case,  the  sale  of  this  flour  would  have  to  be  made  in 
spite  of  the  ad. 

I  happen  to  know  that  Zephyr  Flour  is  a  worthy 
commodity.  I  show  the  ad  chiefly  as  an  illustration 
of  weak,  unplausible  copy  used  to  advertise  meri- 
torious goods.  And  the  result  of  the  campaign 
tends  to  prove  further  the  truth  of  my  criticism. 
The  Bowersock  Mills  and  Power  Company  carried 
on  a  three-year  campaign  on  this  flour,  mostly  in 


Grand  FREE  Trial 

Zephyr  Flour 

SALE! 


AH  Your  Money  Back  if  Zephyr 
Doesn't  "Make  Goodl" 

At  Dealers  NamejLBelow,  Tomorrow 

Be  sure  to  at?end  tomorrow's 
great  FREE  Trial  Sale  of  the 
World's  finest  flour  —  Zephyr 
Flour. 

Lay  in  your  supply  now — take 
advantage  of  the  big  sale— no  matter 
whether  you  won't  need  any  flour  for  a 
week  or  whether  you  are  "out  of  flour" 
now. 


Zephyr 


Flour 


Here's  Our  FREE  Trial  Offer 

Order  one  sack  of  Zephyr  Flour  at  this  sate.  Use  It  down  to  one- 
rin!f  the  sack  (or  bread,  pies,  cake—  all  your  baking.  Test  it  your 
own  way.  Then  decide. 

Hit  has  failed  in  any  respect,  send  the  remaining  24  pounds  Sack 
to  jour  grocer.  He  will  refund  you  the  price  of  the  whole  sack. 

The  Only  Guaranteed  Flour 

We  want  you  to1  use  Zephyr  Flour.    The  only  flour  backed  by  a 
guaranty.    \Ve  want  you  to  know  that  the  guaranty  means  exactly 
what  it  says: 

—That  Zephyr  Flour  must  make  rood  every 
C  -That  It  most  equal  the  highest  cumber  of 

"'-That  It  must  completely  satisfy  yon  is  to 
litlilncss-ftneness  ot  graio-laste-«»ery  dual- 


. 
-Or  you  receive  all  your  money  back! 

nccra  in  your  borne.    The  tale  Is  on  tomo 


(Dealers'  Names) 


Bowersock  Mills  and  Power  Co.,  Lawrence,  Kansas 


PLATE  i— Does  Not  Carry  Confidence 


72  Selling  Newspaper  Space 

weekly  newspapers.  At  one  time  it  used  100  news- 
papers, and  the  cost  of  the  campaign  was  around 
$10,000  a  year.  In  each  town  the  dealer's  name 
was  printed,  and  the  ads  appeared  each  week  in  the 
weekly  newspapers  and  twice  a  week  in  the  dailies. 
The  campaign  was  admittedly  unsuccessful. 

FINDING  THE  BUYERS.  Upon  an  understanding 
of  the  readers  whom  you  are  trying  to  make  buyers 
rests  the  fate  of  every  advertising  campaign.  It  is 
natural  that  an  advertiser  should  think  only  of 
how  anxious  he  is  to  sell ;  yet  this  is  fatal.  It  is  the 
wrong  point  of  view.  Such  a  writer  lacks  imagina- 
tion. "Why  should  the  reader  buy?"  is  the  leading 
question.  Appeal  must  be  determined  by  a  close 
study  of  the  public.  The  various  classes  in  a  com- 
munity must  be  understood.  You  cannot  expect 
the  same  selling  points  to  strike  a  point  of  contact 
with  all  classes. 

An  ad  should  tell  about  specific  things  to  specific 
people.  Pick  out  a  certain  class.  Study  that  class. 
Find  the  responsive  chord.  Choose  a  headline  that 
strikes  the  point  of  contact.  To  be  effective  the 
appeal  must  fit  the  particular  community  and  the 
particular  class  to  which  the  advertisement  is  di- 
rected. If  you  will  observe  this  rule  advertising 
will  always  be  newsy. 

WHAT  BUYERS  WANT  TO  KNOW.    Every  mer- 


Helping  the  Merchant  73 

chant  knows  the  compelling  power  of  the  low  price 
and  the  cut  price.  There  can  be  no  question  that 
the  public  is  particularly  susceptible  to  the  price 
appeal.  A  man  will  respond  to  a  bargain  price  al- 
though he  does  not  revel  in  bargain  hunting.  Most 
men  do  not  like  to  shop.  You  do  not  find  a  man 
telling  others  of  a  $30  suit  he  purchased  for 
$22.50.  A  woman,  on  the  other  hand,  finds  hap- 
piness in  shopping;  in  the  anticipation  of  shop- 
ping; in  telling  her  neighbors  about  the  results  of 
her  shopping.  This  may  explain,  in  part,  why  so 
large  a  percentage  of  merchandise  is  sold  direct  to 
women,  and  why  they  influence  indirectly  the  pur- 
chase of  nearly  all  goods. 

The  over-use  of  bargain  copy  does  advertisers 
more  harm  than  they  imagine.  There  are  times 
when  bargains  should  be  advertised,  but  other  store 
news  is  often  more  vital.  At  the  beginning  of  the 
season  most  women,  and  men  too,  are  interested  in 
fashions ;  in  mid-season  buyers  want  to  know  about 
store  service.  A  store's  advertising  should  not  be 
conducted  like  one  long  clearance  sale.  An  ad  that 
chats  in  an  editorial  sort  of  way  may  be  intensely 
interesting.  Such  an  ad,  headed  "Triumphs  of 
Linens,"  Plate  2,  is  an  example  of  this.  The  ad- 
vertisement of  Plate  3  is  another  example  of  how 
store  service  may  be  interestingly  advertised.  This 


Triumphs  of  Linens 

Whose  lanen  .closet  is  beginning  to  show  signs 
of  exhaustion?  Strange  how  few  Towels  are  worn- 
out  and  how  rapidly  they  vanish — in  spite  of  laun- 
dry lists,  itemized  and  checked  with  care.  Napkins 
disappear  with  peculiar  facility,  and  Table  Cloths 
have  been  known  to  stray,  notwithstanding  their 
size.  All  this  means  n\ore  business  for  the  retailer 
— who  merits  it 

Makes  no  odds  how  much  or  how  little  you  may 
wish  to  spend — this  is  the  store  that  deserves  your 
preference.  Whether  you  desire  Linens  for  a  mod- 
est cottage,  an  imposing  residence,  a  permanent  or 
seasonal  hotel,  a  boarding  house,  a  restaurant,  a 
dormitory  or  a  sanitorium — we  are  ready  to  supply 
you  bountifully  and  save  you  amply.  Whatever 
your  need — it's  served  best  here. 

Chamberlin  Johnson-DuBose  Co. 


PLATE  2 — A  Talk  on  Linens  from  the  Woman's  Viewpoint 


That    new    idea  of 

brightening  up  the  used 
golf  ball  with  a  little 

whitening— did  you  think  what  a  sav- 
ing it  means?  It  saves  money,  it  saves 
time,  and  it  saves  a  player's  good  dis- 
position— no  worry  about  lost  balls. 

It's  just  one  of  our  Service 

Ideas.  We  want  you  to  get  the  maxi- 
mum pleasure  from  your  playing,  even 
if  it  does  mean  that  a  player  buys  fewer 
balls  (because  he  doesn't  lose  any). 

And  when  play  time  comes  for  you 
tomorrow,  we  have  every  piece  of  equipment 
which  will  add  to  your  fun— whether  it's  golf, 
or  tennis,  or  baseball. 


For  Service. 


Just  off  the  Campus  on   Ninth. 
PLATE  3—  A  Service  Idea  That  Sold  Athletic  Goods 


76  Selling  Newspaper  Space 

copy  was  suggested  to  the  store  by  an  advertising 
representative  of  a  newspaper,  and  resulted  in  the 
successful  sale  of  athletic  goods ;  it  strikes  a  respon- 
sive chord. 

Two  extreme  examples  are  reproduced  in  Plates 
4  and  5.  The  John  Taylor  Dry  Goods  Company 
ad,  Plate  4,  makes  effective  use  of  price  appeal  at 
the  end  of  the  season,  when  it  usually  takes  low 
prices  to  sell  goods.  In  the  Martin  &  Martin  ad, 
Plate  5,  the  purely  news  style  is  seen.  This  adver- 
tisement was  printed  at  the  beginning  of  the  spring 
season.  It  is  splendid  in  typography  and  unique  in 
idea.  It  points  a  tendency  which  is  to  make  adver- 
tising the  news  of  the  store — a  real  aid  to  buyers. 
Both  of  these  advertisements  brought  unusually 
large  results.  A  good  advertisement,  like  a  good 
news  story,  is  honest,  interesting  and  instructive. 

If  the  article  is  one  purchased  by  women,  get  be- 
hind the  motive  that  a  woman  has  for  buying  the 
article.  Study  her  needs,  her  motives,  her  feel- 
ings. Think  all  the  time  of  reasons  people  have 
for  buying  the  goods.  Study  why  goods  should  be 
bought,  not  sold. 

THE  ENGLISH  OF  THE  ADVERTISER.  The  most 
common  faults  of  advertisement  English  are :  indis- 
criminate use  of  superlatives;  attempts  at  clever 
phrases;  negative  instead  of  positive  tone. 


•te 


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August  Clean'ng  3rd  Floor  App»r«rl  Section 


S.I.'Musli.   Dndtrw 


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JOHN 


S^OKW 


PLATE  4 — An  Example  of  the  "Low-price"  Appeal 


Helping  the  Merchant  79 

Advertising  space  is  expensive.  The  advertiser, 
unlike  any  other  writer,  is  charged  for  what  he 
writes.  He  is  trying  to  get  his  thoughts  into  other 
people's  minds,  and  he  can  do  this  best  when  he 
uses  their  language.  Too  often  stale  and  stereo- 
typed descriptions  are  given.  "Greatest  Sale,"  "Gi- 
gantic Reduction,"  "Stupendous  Bargains,"  "Beau- 
tiful Showing,"  do  not  call  up  images.  They  are 
too  general.  Try  counting  the  number  of  times 
such  expressions  appear  in  the  advertising  columns 
of  a  single  issue. 

Make  your  statements  specific  and  positive  in 
tone.  "The  skilled  advertiser  works  with  small 
words  because  they  fit  into  more  minds  than  big 
phrases."/  Write  copy  as  you  talk  to  your  customers, 
only  be  more  brief.  Cut  out  every  word  and  every 
line  that  can  be  erased  without  omitting  the  essen- 
tials. Cleverness  in  advertising  rarely  sells  any- 
thing. It  tends  more  to  destroy  confidence.  The 
reader  resents  being  misled. 

Straightforward  statements  gain  belief.  Direct- 
ness is  the  basis  of  force. 

THE  IMPORTANCE  OF  DISPLAY.  After  deciding 
what  to  say  and  how  to  say  it,  the  advertiser  comes 
to  the  important  problem  of  display. 

It  is  the  form  of  the  ad  that  gives  a  reader  his 
first  impression.  The  eye  loves  order ;  it  shuns  chaos. 


8o  Selling  Newspaper  Space 

Attention  is  dependent  upon  display,  but  to  attract 
attention  is  second  only  to  the  injunction  that  the 
attention  which  you  attract  must  be  relevant  and 
favorable.  From  200  advertisements  containing 
illustrations  selected  at  random  among  the  daily 
newspapers  of  Missouri,  the  pictures  in  eighty-five 
were  not  relevant  to  the  article  advertised.  ^The 
question  which  the  advertisement  must  answer  is 
not  only  does  it  attract  attention,  but  also  to  what 
does  it  attract  attention.  Before  me  is  an  advertise- 
ment headed  UA  man  with  fourteen  wives."  After 
reading  several  paragraphs  I  find  that  it  is  really  an 
advertisement  of  a  hardware  store  trying  to  sell 
fences.  Such  advertising  may  attract  attention,  but 
it  is  as  far  away  from  selling  fences  as  it  can  be. 

To  attract  attention  is  the  easiest  thing  in  the 
world.  To  attract  favorable  and  relevant  attention 
is  another  matter.  Relevancy  does  not  mean  only 
that  the  illustration  shall  harmonize  with  the  sub- 
ject matter.  Type  is  the  means  through  which  the 
advertiser  expresses  ideas.  Type  speaks  a  language 
subtle  in  its  suggestiveness  and  should  always  be 
easy  to  read.  The  advertiser  who  uses  larger  type 
than  72  point  in  his  newspaper  advertising  fails  to 
consider  that  a  newspaper  is  read  at  a  range  of  not 
over  sixteen  inches.  A  line  set  with  capital  letters 
and  lower  case  is  much  easier  to  read  than  a  line  set 


Helping  the  Merchant  83 

with  all  capital  letters,  especially  if  open-face  type 
is  used. 

This   Is    Easy    To    Read 
YOU  CAN'T  READ  THIS  SO  EASILY 

An  advertising  man  recently  said  that  big  space 
was  "a  mighty  poor  substitute  for  good  taste."  So 
with  type.  An  advertisement  should  never  be  sent 
to  the  printer  until  the  ad  writer  has  drawn  up  a 
layout  showing  exactly  where  everything  is  to  be 
placed  and  the  size  of  the  type  to  be  used. 

Illustrations  are  not  essential  to  attract  attention, 
but  if  you  do  print  an  illustration — and  illustrations 
have  a  true  function — be  sure  that  it  illustrates 
what  you  are  advertising.  Be  sure  also  that  the 
picture  faces  the  right  way.  The  ad  of  the  Odor 
Cloak  Company,  Plate  6,  is  an  example  of  an  illus- 
tration which  illustrates  the  merchandise,  but  the 
gaze  of  the  face  draws  the  eye  outside  the  ad  and 
the  finger  points  away  from  the  contents — perhaps 
to  some  competitor's  ad. 

A  border  without  regard  to  relevancy  is  in  poor 
taste.  For  example,  a  heavy  black  border  suggests 
mourning  and  is  relevant  only  to  monuments,  un- 
dertaking, flowers,  and  funerals.  A  simple  border 


Every  Spring 
Suit  Must  Go ! 

No  matter,  former  price  $29.7^ 
$35.00,  $39.50  or  $45.00,  your  choice 

$10 

All    other    Sprin    Suits,    $14.95, 
$18.50  and  $22.50,. your        JR  PR 


ODOR 

2nd  Floor  Altaian  Bid* 


choice 

Come  Early  for  Choice  *bf  These 
Wonderful  Suit  Values 

Norfolk  Suits  in  linen  and  wide- 
wale;  500  to  choose  from  JA  95 
Monday  at  *. . ,  .„. ..,«...  .^...  ™lUU 

CLOAK& 
SUIT  CO. 


llth  and  Walnut 


PLATE  6— The  Picture  Faces  the  Wrong  Way 


Helping  the  Merchant  85 

and  plain,  readable  type  with  proper  use  of  white 
space  can  be  obtained  in  the  smallest  of  print  shops. 
.f  a  thing  is  important  enough  to  say,  give  it  proper 
display.  A  common  fault  is  to  display  everything. 
Emphasis  depends  on  contrast.  The  ad  must  have 
unity  in  thought  and  display.  It  must  be  easy  to 
read,  and  should  be  arranged  so  that  the  entire  ad 
will  be  read.  Almost  every  one  will  glance  at  your 
ad.  You  must  convert  these  glancers  into  readers. 
Display  is  a  vital  element  in  advertising,  and  the 
newspapers  will  do  a  service  to  advertisers  if  they 
set  copy  in  the  most  effective  way  instead  of  the 
easiest  way.  An  advertisement  pleasing  in  design 
and  type  is  bound  to  appeal  to  the  merchant's  in- 
nate sense  of  beauty,  and  the  reader  will  respond 
more  readily  to  such  an  ad  because  the  impression 
of  form  remains  long  after  the  wording  is  for- 
gotten. 

SUPPORTING  THE  ADVERTISING  PROGRAM 

As  the  publisher,  manager,  or  salesman  of  adver- 
tising, you  must  see  that  what  goes  into  the  space 
you  sell  a  merchant  will  mean  more  business  to  him. 
Then  you  should  urge  the  merchant  to  back  up  his 
advertising  through  window  displays,  interior  dis- 
plays, and  chiefly  through  salespeople's  statements. 

Good  copy  will  bring  customers  into  the  store. 


86  Selling  Newspaper  Space 

But  after  that  what  ?  The  next  thing  is  to  sell  these 
customers  and  to  keep  them  sold. 

If  you  are  satisfied  that  your  medium  is  right  and 
that  your  copy  is  right,  look  then  to  the  store  itself. 
Remember  that  no  advertising  campaign  can  stand 
unaided  and  win.  As  Theodore  F.  MacManus  ex- 
presses it:  "The  store  must  be  opened  and  swept 
and  cleaned;  not  at  a  theoretical  seven  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  but  at  seven  o'clock  by  Govern- 
ment time.  The  show-cases  must  be  bright  and 
shining;  not  in  the  glowing  imagination  of  an  ad- 
vertising manager,  but  in  the  eyes  of  the  first  cus- 
tomer that  comes  in.  The  clerk  must  be  cheerful 
as  a  cricket ;  not  in  principle  but  in  effect." 

Finally,  the  character  of  the  store  must  be  right. 
//  will  not  profit  a  publisher  to  sell  space  which  the 
advertiser  cannot  use  with  profit;  neither  will  it 
profit  a  merchant  to  sell  goods  that  do  not  give 
satisfaction. 

Urge  your  advertisers  to  back  up  their  printed 
promises.  This  means  not  only  to  sell  the  article  as 
advertised  but  to  sell  it  under  the  exact  conditions 
specified.  It  means  that  if  $2  shirts  are  advertised 
for  to-day  only  at  $1.25,  the  shirts  will  be  on  sale 
to-day  only;  not  to-morrow.  The  easy  habit  of 
letting  bargains  stay  on  beyond  the  time  announced 
causes  the  public  to  lose  faith  in  all  printed  state- 


Helping  the  Merchant  87 

ments.  I  have  known  merchants  who  found  it  im- 
possible to  conduct  one  day  sales  because  they  estab- 
lished this  precedent. 

Window  displays  should  say  the  same  thing  that 
the  newspaper  advertising  says.  Advertisements 
should  be  shown  conspicuously  about  the  store  so 
that  customers  can  refer  readily.  Price  tickets 
should  tell  the  story  at  a  glance ;  and  the  salespeople 
should  know  what  is  advertised  and  something 
about  the  goods  they  have  to  sell.  They  should 
know  every  claim  that  is  made  in  the  advertisement 
and  co-operate  loyally.  The  proprietor  of  the  store 
who  realizes  the  importance  of  this  service,  and 
takes  the  time  and  expense  to  train  his  salespeople 
to  perform  it,  will  be  well  repaid  in  increased 
patronage. 

A  department  store  had  a  reputation  for  indif- 
ferent salespeople.  An  actual  canvass  showed 
that  the  first  thing  women  associated  with  this  store 
was  "discourteous  salespeople."  A  new  manager 
undertook  to  change  completely  this  condition,  and 
he  did  it  with  the  same  force  of  salespeople.  He 
met  personally  with  the  employees  and  made  it 
clear  that  they  were  his  personal  representatives; 
that  the  real  proprietor  of  the  store  was  the  little 
woman  coming  down  the  aisle  who  wanted  a  spool 
of  thread.  Moreover,  he  told  them  frankly  his 


88  Selling  Newspaper  Space 

plans,  and  that  promotions  were  to  be  made  not 
alone  on  how  much  a  saleswoman  sold,  but  also  on 
the  basis  of  how  she  sold  it.  A  unified  spirit  was 
developed  in  the  store.  Indifference  has  now  given 
way  to  loyalty.  The  merchandise  is  the  same ;  but 
the  service  is  different ;  and  the  advertising  is  reap- 
ing tremendous  benefits. 

Study  retailing  and  merchandising.  Carefully 
go  over  a  store's  make-up  to  find  the  advantages 
and  to  uncover  the  shortcomings.  Then  present  a 
plan  to  the  merchant  that  will  get  the  store  ready 
to  carry  out  with  harmony  a  persistent  advertising 
programme.  If  you  do  this  you  will  not  only  con- 
vert the  merchant,  but  he  will  stay  converted.  Sell- 
ing newspaper  space  in  this  way  spells  harmony, 
satisfaction  and  success. 


CHAPTER  FIVE 

"NEW  BUSINESS" 


THE  OVERLOOKED  FIELDS 

THE  advertising  salesman  comes  in  contact 
with  but  very  few  businesses  which  are  not 
regarded  as  "different"  by  their  proprietors.  It 
is  safe  to  say,  however,  that  any  legitimate  busi- 
ness can  be  advertised.  There  are  many  kinds  of 
stores,  many  articles,  and  many  propositions  which 
have  never  advertised  because  no  one  has  ever  taken 
the  trouble  to  show  the  proprietors  how  publicity 
could  be  applied  to  the  peculiar  conditions  of  their 
business. 

A  merchant's  attitude  concerning  advertising  is 
usually  determined  by  what  he  did  last  year.  The 
publisher,  as  a  rule,  is  trying  to  equal  last  year's 
record  instead  of  making  new  records.  And  the 
publisher's  representatives  daily  pass  up  opportu- 
nities because  certain  stores  have  never  advertised. 
Merchant,  publisher,  representative — all  three  are 
guided  by  tradition,  which  is  a  good  thing  to  learn 
from  but  a  poor  thing  to  copy. 

It  is  time  we  turned  our  attention  and  energy  in 
the  direction  of  creative  salesmanship.  NEW  Busi- 


90  Selling  Newspaper  Space 

NESS,  the  sinew  of  progress,  is,  in  the  newspaper 
sense,  the  result  of  looking  at  a  concern  to  see 
how  it  can  profitably  use  newspaper  advertising — 
whether  or  not  that  concern  has  ever  advertised 
before. 

There  are  a  few  publishers  who  are  putting  as 
much  energy  in  the  overlooked  fields  as  they  are  in 
the  overworked  fields  of  commercial  activity;  and 
they  are  drawing  splendid  returns  on  the  invest- 
ment. 

CASHING  IN  ON  TIMELINESS 

Every  issue  of  almost  every  newspaper  contains 
some  news  feature  which  adds  special  value  to  some 
particular  advertisement,  or  perhaps  to  nearly  all 
its  advertisements.  The  issue  which  contains  un- 
usually important  news,  particularly  where  the 
readers  are  expecting  it,  has  more  than  ordinary 
value  as  an  advertising  medium.  Election  returns 
may  cause  readers  to  be  unusually  eager.  The 
issue  containing  school  commencement  news,  with 
pictures  of  graduates,  is  certain  to  have  many  care- 
ful readers.  News  and  advertising  are  closely  as- 
sociated. There  are  times  when  public  sentiment  is 
stirred;  the  events  of  the  day  create  a  conscious- 
ness which  cannot  be  duplicated  ordinarily  even  at 
a  cost  of  millions  of  dollars  to  the  advertiser. 


"New  Business"  91 

"Most  of  the  striking  coincidences  in  life  are  ac- 
counted for  by  this  law,"  says  Titchener;  "you  are 
thinking  about  certain  things,  and  something  hap- 
pens that  because  you  are  thus  thinking,  and  be- 
cause it  is  akin  to  the  subject  of  your  thought,  cap- 
tures your  attention.  What  a  remarkable  coinci- 
dence! you  say;  but  if  you  had  been  thinking  of 
something  else,  there  would  have  been  no  coinci- 
dence. 

"When  we  are  thoroughly  absorbed  in  a  topic, 
relevant  facts  and  ideas  crowd  in  upon  conscious- 
ness; the  mind  stands  wide  open  to  them,  while  it 
is  fast  locked  against  the  irrelevant." 

This  is  why  it  is  more  profitable  for  an  adver- 
tisement to  meet  the  conditions  than  it  is  to  make 
them. 

A  striking  example  of  timeliness  in  advertising 
was  given  .immediately  after  the  Titanic  disaster. 
An  accident  and  life  insurance  company  printed  a 
series  of  ads  simply  telling  how  many  thousands  of 
dollars  it  paid  out  as  a  result  of  the  disaster  and 
with  what  promptness  this  was  done. 

These  opportunities  come  locally  with  every  fire 
and  accident  in  your  town,  and  the  newspaper  has 
but  to  make  the  suggestion :  few  advertisers  will  fail 
to  see  the  opportunity. 

The  pure  food  commissioners  of  Kansas  City  re- 


92  Selling  Newspaper  Space 

cently  carried  on  a  crusade  against  the  kitchens  in 
down-town  restaurants.  The  papers  printed  news 
stories  telling  of  the  results  of  this  inspection.  The 
Star  at  once  arranged  a  two  hundred  line  double- 
column  ad,  containing  at  the  top  a  short  paragraph 
about  the  clean  restaurants  which  met  the  require- 
ments of  the  city  inspectors,  and  beneath  this  para- 
graph printed  the  names  and  addresses  of  seven- 
teen restaurants.  This  was  timely  advertising; 
people  wanted  to  know. 

The  advertisement  reproduced  in  Plate  7  is  an 
example  of  timeliness.  It  is  an  advertisement  of 
merchandise  of  which  the  sale  is  wholly  determined 
by  weather  conditions. 

Particular  instances  of  timeliness  in  advertising 
might  be  enumerated  in  an  endless  list,  but  the  ex- 
amples mentioned  will  illustrate  one  kind  of  timeli- 
ness. There  is,  however,  another  timeliness,  one 
which  is  much  more  generally  followed.  It  is  the 
matter  of  seasons — advertising  merchandise  at  the 
right  time  of  the  year.  Too  many  merchants,  how- 
ever, are  inclined  to  follow  the  season  rather  than 
to  keep  just  a  little  ahead  of  it.  A  much  better 
plan  is  to  make  an  advertising  campaign  reach  its 
climax  a  short  time  before  the  days  on  which  the 
largest  sales  are  made.  When  a  man  starts  from 
home  to  buy  a  new  spring  suit  he  is  very  likely  to 


THIS  MORNING 

Make  a  bee  liae  for  the  big  shoe 
store.  You  can't  go  through  such 
weather  as  this  without 

RUBBERS 

You  can  buy  the  good  kind  here, 
the  best  that  are  made  and  be 
fitted  quickly. 

ALL  CARS  STOPTN  FRONfOF  OUR  DOOR 


TH£ B/Q SStOJ? S7W& -  7/5 


PLATE  7— A  Definite  and  Timely  Suggestion 


94  Selling  Newspaper  Space 

know  what  store  he  is  going  to  first ;  and  he  perhaps 
has  a  pretty  definite  idea  of  the  kind  of  suit  he 
wants.  However  large  a  part  a  clerk  may  have  in 
influencing  a  customer  to  buy  a  particular  suit,  some- 
thing other  than  this  clerk's  words  has  influenced 
the  customer  to  go  to  this  particular  store.  And 
this  earlier  influencing  is  the  task  of  advertising;  it 
must  come  somewhat  earlier  than  the  moment  when 
goods  actually  change  hands.  If  a  merchant  can 
know  the  day  a  great  many  men  will  buy  suits  this 
merchant's  share  in  the  business  is  sure  to  be  large. 
It  costs  a  dry  goods  store  less  to  sell  white  goods  in 
June  than  in  January.  But  enough  advertising  can 
change  normal  buying  and  in  effect  reorganize  a 
buying  season. 

INCREASING  BANK  DEPOSITS 

Bank  advertising  in  the  past  has  been  too  largely 
flavored  with  impressive  dignity — it  has  been  too 
heavy.  The  three-inch,  double-column  space  has 
been  all  but  wasted  in  the  sermon-like  announce- 
ment that  "The  Bank  of  Squanton,  Capital  $50,- 
ooo,  Surplus  and  Undivided  Profits,  $20,000, 
offers  to  its  patrons  all  the  accommodations  consist- 
ent with  conservative  banking.  We  solicit  your  ac- 
count." Or  the  bank  has  given  away  calendars  on 
which  are  printed  the  name  of  the  bank  and  the 
words,  "We  solicit  your  business." 


"New  Business"  95 

The  bank  which  will  to-day  step  away  from  the 
old-fashioned,  ultra-conservative  form  of  advertis- 
ing and  put  ideas  and  suggestions  into  its  ads  will 
soon  see  its  deposits  increase.  A  bank  in  New  Or- 
leans in  a  page  ad  in  a  paper  in  that  city  a  few 
weeks  ago  devoted  two-thirds  of  the  space  to  a  pic- 
ture of  a  girl  sitting  at  a  typewriter.  A  story  along- 
side told  how  Miss  Carrie  Goslin  had  become  inde- 
pendent by  depositing  part  of  her  weekly  salary  as 
a  stenographer  in  this  bank. 

This  ad  occupied  unusually  large  space  for  a 
bank,  and  advertising  on  so  extensive  a  scale  is  per- 
haps limited  to  large  banks  in  large  cities.  Ideas, 
however,  can  be  used  in  small  space  as  well  as  in 
page  ads.  One  particular  feature  of  banking  facili- 
ties may  be  explained  in  an  interesting  way  in  a 
newspaper  ad.  A  surprisingly  large  number  of 
people  are  not  informed  as  to  banking  methods  as 
they  affect  the  depositor,  as  to  the  convenience  or 
safety  of  a  bank  account,  or  as  to  the  accommoda- 
tions offered  by  a  particular  bank.  A  special  class 
of  people  may  be  addressed  in  an  ad.  It  is  always 
better  to  talk  of  some  particular  class  than  to  ad- 
dress everybody  in  general — for  this  usually  means 
nobody  at  all.  Write  the  ad  for  some  one  and 
every  one  will  read  it. 

Talk  about  something  other  than  capital  stock, 


96  Selling  Newspaper  Space 

surplus  and  undivided  profits.  If  every  man  were 
a  banker  those  facts  might  be  better  understood 
and  more  effective,  but  they  have  little  interest  or 
meaning  for  the  twenty-dollar-a-week  clerk  or 
thirty-dollar-a-month  farm  hand.  Tell  a  few  stories 
about  people  who  succeeded  through  saving. 
There's  inspiration  in  these  stories  for  the  twenty- 
dollar-a-week  man,  and  also  a  very  strong  sugges- 
tion to  him  to  start  an  account  at  once.  Suggest 
to  young  men:  "While  your  earning  power  is  still 
good  and  your  income  steady,  save  some  of  it  regu- 
larly— at  least  10  per  cent.  In  this  strong  bank 
the  fund  will  be  safe  over  any  number  of  years." 

The  same  sort  of  advertising  that  makes  people 
spend  money  will  make  people  save  money.  The 
development  of  bank  advertising — particularly  that 
by  savings  banks — will  result  in  lasting  benefit  to 
the  community,  to  the  individuals  who  become  de- 
positors, to  the  banking  institution,  and  to  the 
newspapers. 

ADVERTISING  AN  "ASSISTANT  PASTOR" 

The  newspaper  publisher  can  do  a  good  work  by 
developing  consistent  advertising  of  churches.  Un- 
til very  recently  about  the  only  time  a  church  ever 
paid  for  an  advertisement  was  when  the  women  of 
the  church  had  an  ice-cream  social  or  a  bazaar.  In 


"New  Business"  97 

a  number  of  cities,  however,  the  churches  are  begin- 
ning to  see  the  value  of  display  advertising,  paid 
out  of  the  same  fund  from  which  the  pastor  draws 
his  salary — and  both  expenditures  are  for  the  same 
identical  purpose.  But  there  is  sometimes  difficulty 
at  first  in  convincing  a  pastor  and  his  congregation 
that  display  advertising  is  a  legitimate  means  of* 
saving  souls. 

The  practice  of  advertising  seems  undignified,  to 
put  it  mildly,  to  the  church  upon  first  thought.  And 
there  is  perhaps  some  basis  for  this  view.  Many 
honest  business  concerns  took  a  very  similar  stand 
in  the  early  days  of  advertising.  But  advertising 
has  served  business  as  perhaps  no  other  selling 
force,  and  churches  are  following  the  methods  of 
good  business  men.  They  are  just  beginning,  but 
so  also  did  the  business  men  have  a  beginning  in 
advertising.  In  Chicago  and  a  few  eastern  cities 
the  large  dailies  carry  each  week  two  or  three  col- 
umns or  more  of  church  advertising.  The  space 
used  by  a  church  varies  from  half  an  inch  to  four 
or  five  inches.  All  church  ads  are  grouped  together 
and  classified  according  to  denominations. 

The  fact  that  a  paper  prints  the  announcements 
of  a  church  in  the  form  of  reading  notices  regu- 
larly is  no  reason  why  a  church  should  not  use  dis- 
play advertising.  Non-churchgoers  will  often  read 


9  8  Selling  Newspaper  Space 

display  advertising  more  readily  than  they  will 
church  news  notes  or  announcements  of  services, 
especially  if  something  special  is  featured. 

And  a  church  owes  an  obligation  to  these  indi- 
viduals. It  is  in  recognition  of  this  obligation  that 
most  churches  begin  to  advertise — even  before  they 
are  convinced  fully  that  they  are  not  lowering 
their  standards  by  using  display  type.  It  costs  a 
given  amount  to  conduct  a  church  a  year,  and  a  cer- 
tain number  of  persons  on  an  average  join  the 
church  each  year.  Thus  each  new  member  costs  a 
certain  amount.  Suppose  by  advertising  a  church 
can  increase  the  attendance  and  also  increase  the 
numbers  of  the  new  members;  and  suppose  in  this 
way  the  cost  of  each  new  member  is  lessened.  Isn't 
this  worth  while  ? 

Church  advertising  should  increase  membership 
just  as  store  advertising  increases  sales.  And  it 
should  accomplish  this  result  on  a  smaller  expendi- 
ture of  money  than  would  be  necessary  to  employ 
men  to  bring  in  the  same  number  of  members. 

Wider  usefulness,  appeal  to  those  who  most 
need  an  appeal,  is  what  advertising  offers  the 
church.  Church  advertising  is  worth  while. 

A  PHOTOGRAPHER'S  ADVERTISING 
The  ordinary  individual  who  has  a  picture  taken 


"New  Business"  99 

once  in  two  or  three  years,  or  probably  not  so  often, 
knows  very  little  about  photographs.  Suppose  a 
photographer  tells  people  in  an  advertisement  to 
notice  a  particular  style  of  mounting  shown  in  his 
case  on  the  street.  That  gives  the  person  some- 
thing to  look  for.  Salesmanship  in  print  supple- 
ments and  strengthens  the  appeal  of  the  salesman- 
ship behind  glass. 

Ott  Hare,  a  photographer  at  Hamilton,  Mis- 
souri, has  by  newspaper  advertising  increased  his 
business  33  per  cent  in  four  years.  The  town  has 
i, 800  people,  is  in  a  farming  community,  and  has 
not  materially  increased  in  size  in  the  four  years. 
The  gallery  which  Mr.  Hare  took  charge  of  was 
one  his  father  had  conducted  for  forty  years.  He 
was  the  only  photographer  in  Hamilton,  the  chief 
town  in  the  county,  and  the  Hare  studio  was 
known  all  over  the  county.  Most  photographers 
would  have  said :  "Everybody  knows  about  my  busi- 
ness; there  is  no  use  for  me  to  advertise."  He, 
however,  began  using  from  three  to  five  inches  sin- 
gle-column in  the  weekly  newspaper,  writing  his 
own  ads,  and  has  never  missed  a  week;  nor  has 
he  run  the  same  ad  two  consecutive  weeks.  In 
December  he  talks  photographs  for  Christmas 
presents;  at  commencement  time  he  talks  pic- 
tures of  graduates;  at  Chautauqua  time  he  talks 


ioo  Selling  Newspaper  Space 

family  groups  while  all  the  children  are  at  home 
again. 

Not  only  has  Mr.  Hare  increased  his  business  a 
third,  but  the  people  of  his  community  are  buying 
better  pictures.  Mr.  Hare  enjoys  making  good 
photographs,  and  he  has  educated  his  customers  to 
a  better  appreciation.  Few  persons  go  from  Ham- 
ilton to  a  city  for  fine  photographs  now.  Mr. 
Hare  gives  newspaper  advertising  full  credit  for 
the  33  per  cent  increase.  Two  of  his  ads,  each 
five  inches  single-column,  are  reproduced  in  Plate  8. 
He  has  used  some  programme  and  miscellaneous 
advertising,  but  recently  has  discontinued  all  except 
newspaper  space. 

He  sometimes  is  annoyed  when  the  newspaper 
man  knocks  on  his  darkroom  door  and  says  he  must 
have  the  copy  for  the  week's  issue.  But  Mr.  Hare 
always  stops  work  long  enough  to  write  an  ad. 

Holmes  &  Bishop,  photographers  in  Baltimore, 
published  in  The  Baltimore  News  a  one-half  page 
advertisement  reproducing  a  large  photograph  of 
Joseph  M.  Mann,  proprietor  of  the  Mann  Piano 
Company.  As  the  copy  stated,  the  photographer 
selected  Mr.  Mann's  photograph  for  this  advertise- 
ment because  uhe  is  very  widely  known,  and  it  gives 
us  an  opportunity  of  demonstrating  to  the  people 
who  know  him,  but  do  not  know  us,  that  we  are 


•"THOSE  old  pictures  of 
*    father    and    mother 
are  very  dear  to  you — 
priceless  in  fact. 

Just  bear  in  mind  that 
your  children  would  cher* 
ish  just  such  pictures  of 
you. 

(Make  tht  appointmtnl  to>d(ff 


HAMILTON. 
~MO.- 


8'uccessor  to  Hare's  Studio 
Upstairs  I 

South  Side  R.  R. 


11/HAT  DOES  IT 
"*  mean  to  you— 
this  "Home  Com-* 
ing"  Day?  Is  your 
boy  or  girl  to  be 
here?  —  any  old 
friends? 

Perpetuate  the  day  with 
a  photograph  taken  here 
— under  the  skylight — 
where  I  can  control  the 
lights  and  shadows,  and 
get  you  what  will  be  an 
everlasting  pleas-ure. 
The  cost  will  be  small 
and  it  may  be  the  last 
chance. 


HAMILTON, 


Successor  to  Hare's  Studio.  Upstairs 

tST       South  Side  R.  R. 


PLATE  8— Two  Ads  of  a  Series  That  Increased  a 
Photographer's  Business  33  Per  Cent. 


1O2  Selling  Newspaper  Space 

able  to  produce  not  only  a  faithful  but  a  character 
likeness  for  any  one  who  will  give  us  an  oppor- 
tunity to  demonstrate  our  ability  in  this  line." 

ThV  result  of  this  advertisement  furnished  an 
interesting  proof  of  the  power  of  indirect  advertis- 
ing, for  the  Mann  Piano  Company  traced  sales 
in  the  week  immediately  following  aggregating 
$2,000.  At  the  same  time  this  advertisement  of- 
fers a  suggestion  to  other  photographers.  The 
appeal  to  the  instinct  of  imitation  is  strongly  de- 
veloped, and  if  a  person  sees  the  picture  of  a  well- 
known  citizen  he  is  apt  to  go  to  the  same  photogra- 
pher to  have  his  own  picture  taken. 

In  every  town  photographers  should  be  on  the 
regular  advertising  list  of  the  newspaper.  It  is  a 
business  in  which  advertising  can  be  especially 
effective,  and  the  newspaper  will  do  well  to  de- 
velop it. 

OTHER  FIELDS  FOR  NEW  BUSINESS 

THE  PROFESSIONS.  Professional  men  have  been 
reluctant  to  take  up  the  proper  use  of  paid  public- 
ity. As  yet  they  are  content  with  simple  insertions 
of  names  and  addresses.  A  great  educational  field, 
however,  is  being  overlooked.  An  example  of  what 
might  be  done  more  generally  is  found  in  the  den- 
tistry advertisement,  Plate  9.  Truths  of  vital  in- 


"We  pointed  out  some  time 
ago  that  the  teetb  of  the  Im- 
mense. American  population  re- 
main unattended  to.  People 
need  to  be  urged  rather  than 
reasoned  with  to  seek  the  den'- 
tist's  care.  The  kings  of  Ameri- 
can life  insurance  act  upon  the 
principle  that  the  man  who 
knows'  he  should  insure  his  life 
will  not  take  out  a  policy  un- 
less be  is  solicited.  It  falls  in 
the  category  of  solemn  duties 
which  the  insistences  of  the  ag- 
gressive agent  persuades  him  to 
recognize  in  season.  But  thpre 
is  no  agency  of  that  kind 
for  stirring  the  consciences 'of 
adults. to  insure  the  health  of 
their  own  teflth  as  well  as  the 
health  of  their  children's  teeth. 

We  do  not  extract  children's 
teetb  Without  thought.  If  pos- 
sible we  save  them,  and  that  is 
important  because  the  perma- 
nent teeth  erupt  so  much  nicer 
if  temporary  teeth  remain  in 
the  mouth  until  the  permanent 
teeth  are  about  to  erupt. 

Do  not  wear  artificial  teeth  If 
you  can  help  it.  Call  at  our 
Dental  Parlors  and*  let  us  save 
your  own  teeth.  They  are  al- 
wTiys  better  than  any  artificials 
'any  dentist  can  make  for  you. 

We  give  you  a  written  fcnar- 
antee  with  all  the  dental  wof-k 
we  do  and  each  guarantee  is 
thoroughly  reliable. 

We  do  not  ask  you  tt>  pay  even 
a  deposit  in  advance;  you  may 
pay  us  when  the  work  is  fin- 
ished to  your  entire  satisfac- 
tion. Let  ns  talk  to  you  about 
ypur  teetb.  Consultation  costs 
you  nothing.  Call  at  our  Dental 
Office  any  day  on  the  3d  floor. 

Dr-  Tepper,  Proprietor. 


PLATE  9— A  Dignified  Dentistry  Advertisement 


IO4  Selling  Newspaper  Space 

terest  are  vigorously  presented.  The  paragraph 
about  children's  teeth  contains  information  every 
father  and  mother  should  have-.-  All  of  the  pro- 
fessions have  a  social  service  asjvell  as  an  indi- 
vidual one  to  perform  in  advertising. 

PUBLIC  SERVICE  CORPORATIONS.  Large  corpo- 
rations are  beginning  to  see  the  value  of  advertis- 
ing. Public  good-will  follows  the  torch  of  publi- 
city. Suspicion  hovers  about  secrecy.  Even  the  few 
corporations  which  have  a  practical  monopoly  of 
their  wares  are  beginning  to  use  newspaper  space. 
And,  contrary  to  the  old  belief  of  these  monopolies, 
both  large  and  small,  they  are  the  concerns  which 
can  advertise  and  get  the  largest  returns.  Where 
there  is  one  merchant  in  a  town  he  is  almost  certain 
to  get  all  the  business  developed  by  his  advertising; 
if  there  is  more  than  one  merchant  the  others  are 
pretty  certain  to  get  a  share  of  any  new  business  he 
creates.  In  this  respect  the  mail-order  houses  in 
the  larger  cities  are  not  altogether  the  awful  men- 
ace which  the  small  dealer  usually  considers  them. 
The  other  day  a  farmer  walked  into  a  furniture 
store  and  asked  the  proprietor  if  he  had  any  sort 
of  a  kitchen  cabinet;  he  had  read  of  one  advertised 
in  a  mail-order  catalogue,  but  preferred  seeing  be- 
fore buying.  If  mail-order  catalogue  advertising 
brings  a  customer  into  a  local  store  and  makes  him 


"New  Business"  105 

inquire  for  the  goods,  certainly  a  dealer  can  do  the 
same  thing  through  use  of  the  printed  page. 

Public  service  corporations,  whose  activities  are 
usually  limited  to  one  city,  also  are  beginning  to 
advertise.  The  Commonwealth  Edison  Company, 
which  provides  practically  all  the  electric  power  in 
Chicago,  has  used  a  lot  of  newspaper  space  in  the 
last  year. 

At  Kirksville,  Missouri,  the  Kirksville  Light, 
Power  and  Ice  Company  has  been  an  unusually 
good  advertiser.  All  its  copy  is  educational  in  na- 
ture, and  is  designed  to  create  new  business.  This 
company  spends  considerable  money  in  advertising 
the  many  uses  to  which  electricity  can  be  put.  The 
attitude  of  the  company  towards  the  community 
which  it  serves,  and  the  idea  back  of  its  advertis- 
ing are  illustrated  in  this  quotation  from  one  of 
their  ads : 

"More  people  received  electrical  Christmas 
gifts  in  Kirksville  this  year  than  ever  before. 
It  may  be  that  you  have  received  devices  such 
as  an  electric  flat-iron,  vacuum  cleaner,  toast- 
er, washing  machine,  sewing  machine  motor, 
etc.,  and  do  not  quite  understand  operating  it 
on  the  most  economical  lines. 

"If  you  have  any  doubts  of  this  kind  we 
will  provide  free  instruction.  Telephone  234, 
and  we  will  send  a  courteous  representative, 


io6  Selling  Newspaper  l^pace 

who  will  give  expert  advice  with  our  com- 
pliments." 

A  series  of  "Gas  Talks"  was  used  in  the  news- 
papers by  the  Louisiana  (Missouri)  Light,  Power 
and  Traction  Company.  The  newspaper  ads  were 
followed  by  personal  solicitations,  and  the  company 
is  well  pleased  with  the  results. 

A  forceful  appeal  for  the  gas  range,  the  cool 
kitchen,  and  "Mother"  is  made  in  the  advertise- 
ment of  Plate  10. 

PUBLIC  LIBRARIES.  Tradition  alone  says  that 
public  libraries  shall  not  advertise.  There  is  op- 
portunity to  increase  the  users  of  libraries  by 
newspaper  publicity.  In  a  number  of  towns  a  start 
is  being  made  in  this  direction. 

LAUNDRIES.  Laundries  usually  do  not  adver- 
tise, but  could  do  so  very  profitably.  Almost 
everybody  is  dissatisfied  with  his  laundry  work  at 
least  a  large  part  of  the  time.  Every  one  would  be 
easily  susceptible  to  a  suggestion  that  a  certain  laun- 
dry did  better  work,  even  in  just  one  little  particu- 
lar point.  Laundry  ads  have  too  often  said: 
"Brown's  laundry  does  the  best  work — telephone 
678."  Suppose  a  laundry  in  your  city  should  an- 
nounce: "Every  time  we  break  a  button — which 
isn't  very  often — we  sew  on  another,  an  exact  du- 
plicate, before  we  send  the  garment  home  to  you." 


She  Sacrificed 

—One  Sunny  Disposition 
—One  Sound  Constitution 
—One  Clear  Complexion 
—And  the  Sparkle  of  a  Pair  of  Eyes 

The  altar  was  an  ancient  cook  stove.  The  time, 
July  and  August. 

The  six  who  called  her  mother  saw  what  was 
going  on  when  it  was  too.  late. 

Moral — Don't  permit  any  woman  you  care  for  to 
cook  for  your  family  on  anything  but  a  good,  gas  range 
^-especially  during  the  torrid  days  of  July  and  August. 

Buy  her  a  "Composite"  Cabinet  Range,  one  that 
will  do  away  with  the  drudgery  of  handling  fuel  and 
ashes.  One  that  will  shorten  her  cooking  hours  and 

Insure  A  Cool  Kitchen 

Order  a  "Composite"  Range  at  our  downtown  or 
any  of  our  outlying  stores  — small  monthly  payments 
if  you  like  —  range  delivered  and  connected  for  do* 
mestic  use  free.  Telephone  Randolph  4567. 

The  Peoples  Gas  Light  &  Coke  Company, 
P*opbs  Gas  Building,  Michigan  Boulevard. 

PLATE  10 — A  Forceful  Appeal  for  the  Gas  Range,  the  Cool 
Kitchen  and  "Mother" 


io8  Selling  Newspaper  Space 

The  appeal  in  this  advertisement  may  be  particu- 
larly strong  to  bachelors,  but  it  is  reasonable  to  sup- 
pose that  women  do  not  enjoy  sewing  buttons  on 
their  husbands'  shirts. 

DAIRIES.  Many  dairies  put  a  bell  on  their  deliv- 
ery wagons,  and  this  is  their  sole  advertisement  to 
induce  people  to  buy  their  milk.  Pure  milk  is  a 
question  constantly  in  the  minds  of  housewives. 
Dairies  are  overlooking  the  big  opportunity  in  tell- 
ing housewives,  and  in  showing  them,  how  careful 
the  dairies  are  with  their  milk,  how  clean  all  their 
apparatus  is  kept,  and  how  healthy  all  their  cows 
are.  Impure  milk  has  come  to  be  feared  so  much 
that  the  question  of  price  is  hardly  considered  once 
a  person  is  convinced  that  a  certain  milk  is  pure. 
The  advertisement  of  Plate  1 1  is  from  a  series 
printed  in  Chicago  newspapers;  it  finds  the  point  of 
contact.  The  time  is  ripe  for  a  dairy  in  every  town 
to  increase  business  by  the  right  kind  of  advertising. 

RESTAURANTS.  "Where  to  Eat"  is  a  question 
which  newspaper  advertising  should  answer.  Yet 
few  are  the  restaurants  which  invite  patrons  to  their 
tables  by  publicity.  This  condition  gives  at  least 
one  restaurant  in  every  city  an  opportunity  to  get 
new  customers  at  small  cost.  One  specific  selling 
point  featured  in  the  ad  for  Thompson's,  Plate  12, 
makes  one  want  to  taste  "Thompson's  Doughnuts" 


ISN'T  it  a  splendid  thing  for  the  little 
children  in  Chicago  that  the  price  of  milk  is  the 
same — no  matter  what  dairy  company  sells  it? 

There  is  no  temptation  to  buy  the  cheapest;  there  isn'jt  any 
cheapest,  and  the  only  thing  to  govern  the  selection  is  quality. 

It's  a  pity  that  the  quality  isn't  as  uniform  as  the  prices. 

Up  to  a  certain  point  purity  and  cleanliness  are  regulated  by 
(aw.  It's  in  going  away  above  all  such  standards  that  .Borden's 
milk  is  so  supefior. 

You  can't  buy  better  milk  and  cream  than  Borden's. 

Ask  a  Bordcn  driver  for  a.  copy  of  the  little  book  on  "Good  Milk." 
It  is  .free.  This  attractive  little  book  in  white  and  gold  will 
tell  you  many  things  that  everyone  should  know  about  milk, 

PLATE  n— An  Effective  Appeal  to  Mothers 


Thompson's 
Doughnuts 

Stone -crushers 

and  ostriches'  stomachs  are 

the  only  things  so  far  discovered  that 
can  properly  handle  common  "sinkers." 
Nor  normal  man  will  ever  tackle  one  unless 
he's  got  an  awful  grudge  against  his  gizzard. 

But  Thompson's 

Doughnuts  are  not  sinkers." 

It' 8* true,  they're  direct  descendants  of 

"linkers"— but  they're  as  far  superior  to  them  at  the 
modern  business  man  is  to  the  anthropoid  ape.  They're 
one  of  the  mo»t  digestible  and  toothsome  articles  of  food 
that  ever  Matted  the  gastric  juices  flowing  in  the  human 
stomach.  They're  as  crisp  as  the  crullers  you  used  to  get 
in  your  mother' «  kitchen  and  u  Bfiht  u  homemade  bread. 

And  'Til  tell  you  why 

they're  good:  It's  because  they're 
made  of  the  purest  materials  that  money  can 
buy;  K'S'  because  they're  made  With  fresh  country  egvs, 
rich  milk  and  the  finest  flour,  with  real  creamery  butter  tor 
shortening,  and  cooked  in  the  finest  pure  leaf  lard;  it's  because 
they're  made  in  a  spotless,  white-tiled  bakeshop;  iff  because 
there's  no  butterine,  no  cottonseed  oil,  no  imitations  or  substi- 
tutes of  any  kind  employed  to  cheapen  their  cost.  That'* 
ivftjf  they're  good. 

Get  Your  Breakfast  at 


PLATE  12— How  a  Restaurant  May  Advertise 


"New  Business"  in 

and,  when  one  gets  there,  perhaps  other  things. 
Publishers  should  put  restaurants  on  their  lists  of 
prospectives.  Some  wide-awake  restaurant  owner 
is  certain  to  see  the  opportunity  which  newspaper 
advertising  offers  if  the  salesman  will  but  point  out 
that  opportunity. 

TO  AWAKEN  PUBLIC  SENTIMENT 

In  awakening  public  sentiment  for  worthy 
causes,  newspaper  space  may  be  profitably  used. 
Take,  for  instance,  a  "Buy-at-Home"  campaign. 
Newspaper  advertising  has  been  the  means  of  or- 
ganizing manufacturers,  and  has  done  more  to 
bring  the  idea  of  buying  at  home  into  public  favor 
than  any  other  factor.  In  Kansas  City,  Missouri, 
the  Associated  Kansas  City  Manufacturers  are 
conducting  a  campaign  in  The  Star,  changing  copy 
for  each  issue,  pointing  out  the  scope  of  Kansas 
City-made  goods,  and  what  it  will  mean  to  Kansas 
City  residents  if  home  goods  are  purchased  when- 
ever possible.  Plate  13  illustrates  one  style  of  copy 
used  in  this  campaign. 

"SPECIALS" — USE  AND  ABUSE 

We  have  mentioned  only  a  few  sources  of  de- 
veloping new  business  which  in  most  cities,  and 
especially  the  towns,  are  overlooked.  One  of 


H2  Selling  Newspaper  Space 

the  easiest  ways  of  getting  new  business  is  the 
"special"  edition  and  "special"  page.  Both  have 
long  been  favorites  in  many  offices  because  they 
present  an  immediate  means  of  getting  reve- 
nue. And  this  fact  constitutes  the  basis  for  the 
abuse  of  "specials."  The  short-sighted  policy  of 
getting  up  an  edition  or  a  page  solely  for  revenue, 
without  regard  for  the  advertisers'  best  interests, 
has  undoubtedly  done  all  newspapers  much  harm, 
in  that  they  have  misled  the  "now-and-then"  adver- 
tiser into  believing  that  he  was  a  real  advertiser. 
And  too  often  "specials"  have  fooled  the  publisher 
into  thinking  that  he  was  making  money. 

Out  of  ten  "without  reason"  editions  published 
by  near-city  dailies  in  the  last  six  months,  four  of 
the  publishers  admitted  a  dead  loss,  while  three 
said  that  although  the  immediate  revenue  was  in- 
creased the  ultimate  amount  would  be  about  the 
same.  All  of  them  had  failed  to  consider  that 
"every  dollar  too  much  taken  for  advertising  will 
cost  the  publishers  $10  eventually;  that  every  ad- 
vertiser who  is  talked  into  using  too  much  space  is 
an  enemy  earned." 

This  does  not  bar  all  feature  editions  and 
"special"  pages.  A  group  of  small  ads  under  one 
heading  has  greater  attention  value  than  any  single 
small  ad.  Moreover,  the  particular  readers  who 


Making  Kansas  City  Bigger 

Story  No.  1 


Mrs.  Edward  Brown  lives  on  (he  East 
Side.  She  Is  a  patriotic  Kansas  Citian 
and  a  worker  for  anything  that  Will 
benefit  Kansas  City,  because  she  has  a 
young  husband  whose  success  depends 
upon  the  prosperity  of  Kansas  City  and 
because  she  has  two  boys  who  are 
growing  up  and  who,  before  many  years, 
must  set  ont  to  seek  jobs,  good  jobs, 
ones  that  will  insure  them  advancement 
and*  increasing  pay. 

Mrs.  Brown  became  Interested  in  the 
campaign  for  Kansas  City  Made  Goods. 
She  resolved  that  she  would  do  her  part. 
She  began  Insisting  on  Kansas  City 
Made  Goods  from  all  the  merchants 
with  whom  ehe  dealt  Then  ehe  talked 


to  her  neighbors.  She  aroused  their 
enthusiasm  and  before  long  a  club  was 
formed  In  the  neighborhood  the  object 
of  which  was  to  boom  Kansas  City 
Made  Goods.  The  membership  com- 
prised only  women,  every  woman  pledg- 
ing herself  to  buy  Kansas  City  Made 
Goods  -whenever  possible;  to  ask  all 
merchants  from  whom  she  bought  to 
keep  Kansas  City  Made  Goods  on  their 
shelves;  and  finally  to  urge  every 
woman  of  her  acquaintance  to  use  Kan- 
sas City 'Made'  articles  wherever  prac- 
tical. 

Think  what  a  factor  Mrs.  Brown  has, 
made  herself  in  the  progress  of  Kansas . 
City! 


Associated  Kansas  City  Manufacturers 


PLATE  13— Creating  Public  Sentiment  to  "Buy  at  Home" 


114  Selling  Newspaper  Space 

are  interested  will  give  a  more  concentrated  atten- 
tion to  a  large  layout.  The  department  store  page 
is  nothing  more  than  the  advertisement  of  many 
small  stores  in  one.  The  counter  attraction  of  these 
small  ads  does  not  interfere,  because  there  is  one 
central,  dominating  idea  behind  the  whole  page. 

So  with  a  group  of  ads  on  a  page  or  in  an  edition 
which  have  a  common  purpose  all  related  to  the 
same  idea ;  often  such  a  page  is  a  result-bringer  for 
the  small  advertiser,  and  this  may  convert  him  to 
use  regular  space.  But  when  regular  advertisers 
are  talked  into  using  space  which  is  not  justified  by 
returns,  and  when  new  advertisers  are  put  in  a 
solely- for-re  venue  page  or  edition,  the  newspaper 
is  in  the  long  run  the  greatest  loser. 

It  requires  fully  as  much  time  and  work  and 
money  to  develop  new  advertisers  for  newspapers 
as  it  does  to  develop  new  customers  for  a  store. 
New  business  on  the  right  basis  is  a  task  worth  the 
effort,  but  it  is  not  a  task  for  a  "quitter." 


CHAPTER  SIX 

ADVERTISING  F£R  ADVERTISING 


WHAT  ADVERTISING  CAN  DO  FOR  ITSELF 

IF  advertising  can  build  for  every  other  business 
in  the  world,  why  is  not  advertising  a  good 
thing  for  the  newspaper  business?  If  the  news- 
paper can  sell  goods  for  merchants — through  ad- 
vertising, why  cannot  the  newspaper  sell  its  own 
commodity — through  advertising?  The  answer  is 
that  it  can. 

But  the  publisher  will  say:  "A  good  newspaper 
is  its  own  advertisement;  I  have  a  strong  soliciting 
force  and  am  gaining  steadily." 

Is  not  this  argument  against  advertising  identi- 
cal to  that  of  the  "prestige  merchant"  ? 

He  thinks  his  store  is  its  own  ad;  he,  too,  has 
salespeople ;  he,  too,  claims  he  is  gaining. 

A  publisher  should  have  enough  confidence  in 
the  value  of  advertising  to  use  the  columns  of  his 
own  paper,  as  well  as  other  papers,  letters  and  cir- 
culars, and  other  media.  This  does  not  mean  that 
the  feeble,  half-hearted  attempts  so  common  among 
newspapers  will  produce.  Walter  G.  Bryan,  who 
is  at  present  conducting  a  campaign  of  advertising 


n6  Selling  Newspaper  Space 

for  The  Chicago  Tribune,  summed  up  the  situation 
in  a  recent  article : 

"At  present,  with  so  few  exceptions  as  to  be 
counted  on  the  fingers,  a  publisher's  publicity  con- 
sists in  an  occasional  circular,  badly  printed  as  a 
rule,  addressed  from  an  inaccurate  and  deficient 
list,  with  no  symmetry  or  connection  with  trade- 
paper  advertising  among  those  whose  business  it  is. 
to  put  advertising  on  a  business  basis.  If  local  or 
national  advertisers  handled  their  publicity  in  this 
same  loose,  careless,  indifferent  way,  how  long  do 
you  suppose  they  would  last?  With  local  and  na- 
tional advertisers  out  of  business,  how  long  would 
any  of  our  publishers  last?" 

Mr.  Bryan  relates  an  incident  of  a  publisher  who 
finally  came  around  to  the  belief  that  his  paper 
should  advertise,  and  here's  what  he  decided  upon 
— billboards  exclusively.  At  most  there  couldn't 
have  been  over  2,000  advertising  prospects  in  his 
town.  A  $10,000  appropriation  meant  $5  per  year 
a  prospect.  uThis  paper  has  not  told  its  story  or 
created  any  sentiment  locally,  and  the  foreign  ad- 
vertiser has  been  entirely  overlooked  in  the  transac- 
tion. With  this  same  appropriation  or  less,  every 
local  and  suitable  foreign  advertiser  in  the  United 
States  could  have  been  effectively  reached  a  number 
of  times  and  the  value  of  this  newspaper  burned 


Advertising  for  Advertising  117 

into  advertisers'  minds.  As  it  now  stands,  the  local 
prospects  were  struck  by  the  force  of  the  billboard 
man's  argument  that  the  newspapers  themselves 
endorsed — by  using — billboards;  thus  other  adver- 
tisers are  led  by  this  fallacy  to  spend  part  of  their 
appropriation,  which  should  go  to  newspapers,  on 
billboards." 

The  requirements  of  a  good  advertising  cam- 
paign are  the  same  for  newspapers  as  for  mer- 
chants. The  copy  must  be  informative;  it  must  be 
honest  and  interesting;  it  must  approach  the  regu- 
lar and  prospective  customer  from  the  customer's 
standpoint;  the  campaign  must  be  persistent;  it 
must  be  so  unified  that  every  link  in  the  chain  is 
strong. 

A  surprisingly  large  number  of  newspapers  make 
themselves  believe  that  they  are  advertising,  al- 
though their  "campaign"  consists  of  an  occasional 
small  ad,  which  usually  reads :  "It  pays  to  advertise 
in  the  Herald"  Such  copy  fills  space,  but  it  never 
convinced  anybody.  It  is  not  informative. 

Another  class  of  newspapers  goes  to  the  opposite 
extreme.  Filled  with  circulation  figures  and  tables 
of  the  comparative  number  of  columns  of  adver- 
tising carried,  these  publishers  assume  that  their 
newspapers  are  as  well  known  and  of  as  much  im- 
portance to  others  as  to  themselves.  The  peculiar 


Selling  Newspaper  Space 

features  which  make  newspaper  advertising  par- 
ticularly valuable  to  certain  advertisers  are  never 
mentioned.  What  if  clothing  stores  advertised: 
"We  sold  $5,000  worth  of  suits  last  week;  our 
nearest  competitor  sold  only  $4,000 1"  Before  we 
talk  columns  of  advertising  carried,  quantity  of  cir- 
culation and  space  rates,  we  had  better  create  a  de- 
mand for  our  propositions.  We  must  fasten  in  the 
advertiser's  mind  the  pith  of  how  and  why  to  ad- 
vertise. We  must  tell  him  these  things  from  his 
point  of  view  PERSISTENTLY. 

Advertising  for  advertising  has  passed  the  ex- 
perimental stage.  There  is  a  stronger  argument 
to  publishers  than  "you  ought  to  advertise."  Sev- 
eral campaigns  have  been  started  recently  which 
prove  beyond  a  doubt  that  it  pays  on  the  dollar  and 
cents  basis. 

In  Canada  a  line  of  advertising  copy  in  favor  of 
newspaper  advertising,  telling  what  advertising  is 
doing  for  the  public,  has  already  brought  marked 
results.  The  secretary  of  the  Canadian  Press  Asso- 
ciation says  that  more  than  twenty  publishers  in 
whose  papers  these  advertisements  are  running 
have  carried  more  business  by  far  than  in  the  same 
period  of  any  corresponding  year.  These  pub- 
lishers are  prepared  to  give  most  of  the  credit  for 
this  increased  business  to  the  advertising  campaign. 


You  Can  Thank 
Advertising 

\T  EXT  time  you  Step  intotfce  comtr  store, 
^  take  a  look  around  Of.all  the  article* 
on  ttie  shelves,  how  many  were  on  your 
shopping  list  five  years  ago?  Make  it  ten 
years,  and  you  will  firrd  that  most  of -the 
things  you  buy  to-day—and  could  not  do 
without— were  not  even  made  then. 


You  net  ud  Women  «l«  I 


You  net  mil  Homm 

Olinp,  1<t   thii  link  in. 


V*    IN   .       U<J 


1/r 


You,  born,  h  J*,,e,  (urni.ke*.    Yo.         *  J**"*"  "»*    A*  ta.l«l  tkl 

k.v.  tk»tr  .«J  more  lanltaiy      rfwu.Wr;  *>  )«*  wint  »  (4  k«» 
kcMm     Yo»  rc«<)  fe(tn  botAl  J<*         ">  bo'i"«  *"*  °"'  «*  •  PM- Mlm<" 
t    Y«o  ink  «Km  nealth,        •"  *  '  **!'*•  '**«• «"  *  "'*'» 
WK..  or  <u  nKtt*  ji>  .»  »*• 


It  b  idvtrtiii«|  that  mi»B  If 
e>  buy  "iht  bn(" 


«  tor  you  to  cuy    we  o«v 

•dvertiftng    that    enrwrlM!    tne         I?  tn«rpri»rnf  oianurYaureM   ha* 
inventor  to  m.V/  •«.  ca.fcrt,  an4          «6l  tol/  you  <b9?t  dum  in  thcJJ 


Isn't  life  brighter  because  we  have  flew 
and  higher  standards  of  living? 
Let  us  thank  advertising  for  it. 

>i^^«'-^irK«ti3: 


Where  Do  You 
Shop? 

T"\0  you  shop  ift  a  WISH,  active  store,  ot  In  a  duU) 
U  stored 

Advertising  make*  bfigftt  stores.  FafWrfe  to  atf» 
vertise  go«s  hand  in  hand  with  dullness  and  stag* 
nation. 


AJfertiilng  brwho  i« iy  c<*. 
Kin  ind  dust,  srrmnent  Ow6 


Advertising  inikn  the  *** 
<hini  think  of  you— "of  yonf 
Jam,  and  iwedvi mik«  S 


Advertising  keeps  a  businett 
from  growing  tazy  and  siupid. 
AdvcrmmjinVngfKxJrtd  b!«od 
•inio  the  arteri»5(rf  abuslnev.and 
krtp>  it  holihful  and  activ« 


Step  *n«ft  yftor  WIMS  inri 
needs  are  uppermost  in  the  mind 
of  the  merchant.  Shop  ih  Ike 
store  vhkh  reflects  you,  which 
you  dominate.  Shop  whera 
your  money  returns  to  you  in 
better  good*.  bet(.cr  values.  te» 
tfi  *rvi<.. 


Shun  the  shop  (hat  n  dumb 
arid  dark  and  dreary;  keep  away 
from  (he  shop  that  never  speaks 
to  you,  never  smiles  at  you, 
never  bothers  about  you. 


Rewa.il  by  your  £usK>m  inV 

and  who  is  doing  his  uimo«  ra 
build  up  this  comfrtuniiv.  who 
takes  you  into  hre  conndence  by 


local  newspapers. 


Smile  back  at  the  shop  which  smiles  at  you> 
Shake  hands  with  it — ke«p  company. wilh  U— you! 
favor  will  be  returned  to  you  tenfold. 


PLATE  14— How  Canadian  Newspapers  are  Making  Readers 
More  Receptive  to  Advertising 


I2O  Selling  Newspaper  Space 

While  the  good  of  such  a  campaign  cannot  be  meas- 
ured with  any  degree  of  accuracy,  it  is  said  that  a 
number  of  advertising  campaigns  will  shortly  be 
commenced  as  a  direct  result.  The  creation  of  a 
keener  interest  and  firmer  confidence  in  advertised 
goods  on  the  part  of  the  consumer  is  certain  to 
come  from  such  advertisements  as  are  reproduced 
in  Plate  14. 

A  Harvest  Number  of  The  Kansas  City  Journal 
several  years  ago  carried  $12,000  gross — $8,000 
of  which  came  through  the  mail.  The  campaign 
consisted  of  three  letters  and  two  post  cards,  besides 
some  newspaper  space  in  The  Journal,  costing  ap- 
proximately $  1,000. 

The  same  paper  spent  on  an  average  of  over 
$10,000  a  year  in  a  four  year  campaign,  advertis- 
ing its  advertising.  That  the  campaign  paid  is  best 
shown  by  the  fact  that  (luring  the  last  year  the 
Journal's  profits  exceeded  $100,000,  having  almost 
doubled  in  the  four  years. 

An  intensive  campaign  for  The  Tulsa  (Okla- 
homa) World  increased  the  business  of  this  paper 
over  33  per  cent. 

A  few  newspapers  in  the  smaller  towns  have 
begun  advertising  for  advertising  with  equally  sur- 
prising results.  One  part  of  the  plan  followed  by 
the  Hannibal  Courier-Post  is  this:  Every  time  a 


"Why  Should 

I  Advertise" 

"T  fiave  been  here  for  -forty  'years.  Everybody  knows  me,  Why 
should  I  advertise?" 

This  Is  an  argument  the  advertising  solicitor  hears  from  pld  and 
established  firms  as  to  their  reason  for  not  telling  the  people  about  their 
goods  .In  newspaper  advertisements. 

The  trouble  with  these  firms  Is  they  are  not  up  with  the  times.  They 
do  not  realize  advertising  Is  a  development  of  modern  business  compe- 
tition. In  nine  cases  out  of  ten  if  you  will  walk  along  the  same  street 
on  which  the  "old  and  established"  firms  are  located,  you  will  find  that  in 
the  last  few  years  other  firms  in  the  same  line  have  sprung  up  and  have 
established  a  trade  equal  to,  if  not  superior  (.0  that  of  the  old  and  estab- 
lished firms. 

Is  there  a  hidden  business  secret  that  has  enabled  these  new  firms 
to  build  up  in  a  couple  of  years  a  trade  equal  and  superior  to  the  "old 
and  established"  firm  of  40  years' standing. 

There  is  no  secret  The  reason  for  their  growth  Is  shown  in  the  two 
words:  NEWSPAPER  ADVERTISING. 

The  government  census  experts  estimate  that  In  a  city  of  Hannibal's 
size,  the  Incoming  and  outgoing  population  amounts  to'  a  complete 
change  In  every  seven  years.  That  is,  each  year  one  seventh  of  the  popu- 
lation changes, 

Mr.  Old  and  Established  Merchant,  considering  the  whole  popula- 
tion there  are  comparatively  few  of  the  families  still  living  in  Hannibal 
who  remember  when  you  started  in  your  line.  Those  who  have  come  in 
since  have  seen  the  advertisements  of  your  young  and  thriving  compet- 
itors in  their  newspaper  so  much  they  do  not  know  you  are  in  business. 

Experiment  a  little.  Stop  the  first  ten  strangers  you  meet  on  the 
street  and  ask  them  to  name  the  merchant  in  your  line.  Your  feelings 
will  probably  be  hurt  with  their  answers,  for  they  will  name  the  ones  who 
advertise. 

The  best  way  to  keep  out  competition  In  your  line,  Mr.  Merchant,  Is 
to  advertise.  -The  best  way  to  become  a  leader  In  your  line  Is  to  adver- 
tise. The  Courier-Post  offers  you  a  dally  paid,  circulation  of  nearly  6,000 
in  Hannibal  and  immediate  territory  to  tell  of  your  goods.  This  is  more 
than  three  times. the  paid  circulation  of  any  other  newspaper  published 
In  this  vicinity. 


PLATE  15 — Soliciting  Through  Newspaper  Advertising 


122  Selling  Newspaper  Space 

merchant  gives  an  excuse  for  not  advertising,  the 
advertising  manager  goes  to  the  office  and  writes  an 
ad  for  his  paper  replying  directly  to  the  excuse 
given  by  the  merchant.  He  figures  that  if  one  mer- 
chant makes  an  objection  to  advertising,  the  same 
idea  maybe  in  the  minds  of  several  other  merchants. 
But  even  if  the  ad  fit  only  this  one  merchant,  it 
would  be  written  just  the  same.  Plate  15  is  an 
answer  to  one  man's  excuse.  This  is  not  only  an 
excellent  way  to  sell  space,  but  it  is  developing  busi- 
ness by  the  use  of  the  very  thing  which  the  news- 
paper is  trying  to  sell — newspaper  advertising. 

The  Chicago  Tribune  set  aside  a  definite  ap- 
propriation for  preparing  and  executing  its  present 
campaign.  An  increase  of  more  than  66,000  lines 
of  display  and  over  33,300  lines  of  classified  adver- 
tising in  six  months  over  the  same  period  in  1910, 
notwithstanding  the  fact  that  1910  was  the  banner 
year  of  The  Tribune's  entire  history,  is  tangible 
evidence  of  what  advertising  can  do  for  itself.  The 
Tribune's  campaign  is  unique  not  only  because  of 
its  magnitude  but  also  because  of  its  twofold  object. 
As  stated  by  the  management,  it  is  this :  first,  to  se- 
cure new  readers  for  The  Tribune  on  the  ground 
that  The  Tribune  prints  more  opportunities  to  shop 
economically  and  wisely  than  any  other  Chicago 
paper;  and  second,  to  educate  further  The  Trib- 


Do  Newspaper  Readers 
Read  Advertising? 


For  •  number  of  year.  Th<  Tribune,  like  other  new.paper.,  h»>  •dverti*«d  it*  n«wi.  editorial  *nd 
phtaW   l.-M^r.   ,.   ,n  rtforl  to  obuio  ««re   circuUtioo.     But    until   The  Tribune  ^>">  ^*  y?jjjj"[ 

^SsSiMli  s^slgitgil 


r 


Th«  purehaMr^anlr^protr.l.'.n   m   .u^y,,,.""  '•  «h«t  Th.  Tribon.1!  .olum.  of  «d«rliunt  ii  r»ot  «.  much 

'"'"  S?"^  ""TK'  "**'''*'"""•  •'  T^TriMtl!l»r'nU^^V^J.^"^iu7iS 


The  World's  Greatest   Newspaper 


^43tM£S^^ 

PLATE  16 — Increasing  Circulation  by  Advertising  Advertising 


Advertising  for  Advertising  125 

une's  present  readers  in  the  appreciation  of  adver- 
tising. 

Besides  an  actual  increase  in  display  advertising, 
the  campaign  to  secure  new  readers  through  pre- 
senting the  news  value  of  advertising  resulted  in  an 
increase  in  circulation  for  The  Sunday  Tribune  of 
over  20,000  copies.  This  when  the  campaign  was 
only  two  months  old. 

THE  MESSAGE  TO  READERS 

There  is  no  factor  which  will  render  the  readers 
of  a  newspaper  more  receptive,  and  therefore  more 
responsive,  to  the  advertisements  of  merchants  than 
an  active,  interesting  campaign  telling  readers  why 
they  should  read  advertising.  As  The  Tribune 
states  in  the  advertisement  of  Plate  16,  "Do  News- 
paper Readers  Read  Advertising?"  it  has  been  cus- 
tomary to  advertise  the  news,  editorial,  and  picto- 
rial features  in  an  effort  to  obtain  more  circulation ; 
but  the  value  of  advertising  to  readers  has  passed 
unvoiced. 

The  advertisement  headed  "The  Average 
Woman/'  Plate  17,  is  one  women  will  read;  it  is 
from  a  series  by  John  M.  Hertel. 

"Men  Ought  to  Understand  Clearance  Sales 
Better  Than  Women  Do,"  by  J.  R.  Hamilton 
(Plate  1 8),  is  one  of  a  series  designed  to  develop 


The  Average  Woman  Is  the 

Financial  Safety  Valve 

of  the  Home. 

By  JOHN  M/HERTEL 

The  average  woman  can  make  a  dollar  go  farther  ilia  u  the  average  mau 

v5hc  b  able  to  do  this  because  she  reads  the  advertisements  in  the  news- 
papers. 

Even  the  average  woman  of  wealth  is  just  as  eagerly  'scanning  the  adver- 
tisements as  is  the  average  woman  of  limited  means< 

The  principle  is  the  same. 

While  the  woniajygf  limited  means  is  interested  mostly  in  a  sale  of  $3 
petticoats  at  Sl.QS^tuc  woman  of  wealth  is  deeply  concerned  iu  a  sate  of  $100 
suits  for  $65. 

While  the  woman  of.  limited  means  is  trying  to  stretch  a  ten-dollar  bill  to 
cover  all  her  immediate  ifeeds  for  the  week  or  month,  the  woman  of  wealth  is 
trying  to  make  her  monthly  -allowance  of  $300  go  as  far  as  she  can. 

Both  women  know  that  merchants  offer  bargain  inducements  in  adver- 
tisements. That  is  why  they  read  them. 

They  know  that  the  shrewd  and  enterprising  merchants  vie  with  each' 
other  in  luring  trade. 

They  know  that  when  a  merchant  offers  17  yards  of  domestic  for  $1  he 
does  not  make  a  profit  on  the  sale,  and  that  it  is  an  extraordinary  inducement 
to  get  new  customers  to  come. 

The  average  woman  reads  the  small  ads  as  carefully  as  she  does  the  big 
ones.  That  is  why  advertising  pays  so  handsomely  to  those  who  advertise. 

This  newspaper  today  has  many  interesting  announcements  in  its  ad- 
vertising columns.  The  merchants  are  telling  all  about  the  new  styles  and 
novelties  of  the  season.  You  can't  know -all  about  them  unless  you  read  the 
advertisements. 

The  woman  who  does  not  read  the  ads  is  a  financial  drawback  to  her  hus- 
band, when  she  ought  to  be  the  financial  safety  valve  of  the  family. 

Begin  today  and  read  the  advertisements. 

PLATE  17— Gives  "Reason  Why"  Women  Should  Read 
Advertisements 


Men  Ought  to  Understand 

Clearance  Sales  Better 

Than  Women  Do 


By  J.  R.  HAMILTON 


J7VERY  man's  business  training  teaches  him  to  under- 
**-'  stand  the  reasons  behind  the  rise  and  fall  of  prices 
whether  those  prices  be  on  merchandise,  on  stocks  and 
bonds,  or  on  everyday  labor. 

Yet  when  we  conic  to  the  stunmcr  clearance  sales  the  stores  are  usually 
filled  with  ICOHICH  and  not  with  men. 

This  must,  be  due  to  carelessness  and  i:ot  to  ignorance.  If  (lie  price  of 
that/0*  ynii  have  horn  envying »o  much  should  dro]>  //////  /ni-  cent  today,  how 
long  would  it  take  you  to  ix-at  it  to  a  real  estate  oflice  ?  It'  you  knew  where  you 
could  get  a  twenty-five  per  cent  increase  for  your  labor,  how  long  would  it  take 
you  to  get  to  the  spot  where  that  extra  twenty-five  per  cent  was  being  paid  ?  If 
you  knew  that  the  price  of  your  rent  could  l>e  cut  in  half,  how  long  would  it 
take  you  to  find  out  where  your  landlord  lives'? 

Well,  the  price  of  your  cJolhcx  and  your  hnln,  your  xhoex  and  your  xhirts 
and  of  ci:eryt.hini/  else  that  you  wear  and  use  is  Ix-hnj  cut  today. 

Now,  low  loin/  is  it  going  to  take  you  to  get  to  where  the  culliiifj  is  being 
done? 

Being  a  man,  you  understand  hiisincss.  You  know  there  is  no  ehicanery 
about  these  Clearance  Sales.  You  know  the  Inn-  of  Kiifi/ily  and  demand.  You 
know  that  the  merchant,  never  lived  who  could  guess  how  much  of  any  article 
he  was  going  to  sell.  You  know  that  every  l>it  of  siir/iltiti  mcrchnndi.tr  al!  over 
this  city  hfin  to  he  sold  and  has  to  he  sold  now.  Therefore  you  know  that  these 
cut  prices  a  re  not. 

From  now  on,  Ihis  paper  will  he  filled  with  clrnraiicc  .srt/r.s-  until  the  dull 
season  is  over.  You  can  fill  your  chiffonier  with  shirts  and  underwear,  you  can 
till  your  wardrobe  with  clothes,  you  can  buy  furniture,  rugs  and  houseneeds  of 
every  kiml  in  many  eases  for  trim  than  I  lie  merchant  himxclf  had  to  jxiy. 

And  all  yon  have  to  do  to  learn  about  these  values  is  to  foUow  the  udver 
tisiii;/  in  this  paper  day  by  day. 

If  men  had  as  much  appreciation  as  women  have,  of  what  these  sales 
mean,  the  man's  stores  of  this  eity  would  be  bulijiny  at  the  sides  from  now  on. 

Most  men  haven't,  learned,  and  they  don't  seem  able  to  learn,  that  to  dou- 
ble your  Iniyhiy  coi>acity  is  exac-tlyVquivaleut  to  doubling  your  carniiuj  en  purity. 

So  take  a  lesson  today.  Turn  to  the  advertising  itow  and  sec  how  much 
it  holds  for  you  iu  the  light  of  these  Clearance  Sales. 


PLATE  18— Gives  Men  "Reason  Why"  They  Should  Read 
Clearance  Sale  Ads. 


"We  Saved  Nearly  $100 
On  Our  First  Purchase— 


S£Sji'  """<  '""  "'"•""'  u  -  -  "•  Day's  Shopping- 


~^r =r  ^•i-J.'r  a.  E         "How  \  Did  Want  a 

^^i^rlSff^'fiiZ*"         "sL7^r,j,?hnT«'«d,oon,oi^r.Triii«          wwte  Suit — 

2T5t:».',"  •';':*  .r«»'        --s..™^,.  j»u.,r  »u..  i«o, ,  i,™, .!.« $  0^1 


Th.  Worid-^Cr..,..,  N.,.p.p«r      1C 


••All^aMrlkMl.  .K  «»  l.llow,»,  »»  .>npl<  .a  1'  J  ',.",,'  ,".  :  -',.'^M"M 

irsf-s?1  wh"  •  -"'  •*"•  *""  ""  "•* 


PLATE  19 — Focusing  Attention  on  Distinct  Lines  of 
Advertising 


Advertising  for  Advertising  129 

the  reading  of  advertisements.     These  ads  were 
syndicated  to  a  number  of  newspapers. 

THE  MESSAGE  TO  ADVERTISERS 

A  short  series  of  talks  to  merchants  by  Herbert 
Kaufman,  and  another  series  by  Seymour  Eaton, 
were  printed  several  years  ago  in  a  number  of  news- 
papers. A  more  extensive  series  was  "Advertising 
Talks,"  by  William  C.  Freeman.  Such  campaigns 
have  a  good  effect  on  newspapers  while  they  last, 
but  publishers  nearly  always  make  the  mistake  they 
warn  their  advertisers  against,  namely,  of  coming 
suddenly  to  a  standstill  with  their  advertising. 

In  The  Tribune  campaign,  each  advertisement 
is  written  to  interest  people  in  a  particular  kind  of 
advertising.  For  example,  one  read  "The  Silent 
Things  That  Are  Part  of  Our  Lives,"  telling  of 
the  influence  of  furniture  upon  the  home  and  call- 
ing attention  to  the  money-saving  opportunities 
in  furniture  advertisements  appearing  in  The 
Tribune.  At  the  same  time,  a  letter  was  sent  to 
the  furniture  dealers  of  Chicago  pointing  out  that 
May  is  moving  month ;  that  housewives  were  plan- 
ning for  new  furniture ;  that  it  was  time  to  increase 
advertising.  A  proof  of  the  advertisement  referred 
to  was  enclosed  with  the  letter  to  all  furniture 
dealers.  Moreover,  the  advertising  representatives 


130  Selling  Newspaper  Space 

who  called  on  furniture  dealers  at  this  time  again 
enforced  the  idea  that  "the  time  to  make  a  maxi- 
mum selling  effort  is  now." 

Each  separate  line  of  merchandising  was  taken 
up  in  this  way,  so  that  there  was  very  little  lost 
motion  between  the  newspaper  advertisements,  the 
letters  and  circulars,  and  the  salesmen's  visits.  Each 
reinforced  the  other. 

Three  advertisements,  each  representing  a  differ- 
ent line,  are  reproduced  in  Plate  19. 

The  dim  beginnings  of  advertising  for  advertis- 
ing have  been  so  highly  successful  for  the  few  news- 
papers which  have  properly  applied  the  elements 
necessary  for  a  well-built  campaign  that  other  pub- 
lishers will  surely  follow. 

What  can  advertising  do  for  a  publication  ? 

It  can  make  readers  more  receptive  to  the  an- 
nouncements of  all  advertisers. 

It  can  build  circulation  by  educating  the  public 
to  the  news  value  of  advertising. 

It  can  prove  why  merchants  should  advertise, 
quietly  overcoming  their  prejudices. 

It  can  teach  merchants  how  to  advertise  prop- 
erly, getting  the  most  out  of  copy  they  are  using. 

Finally,  it  can  fortify  advertising  salesmen  with 
an  answer  to  the  old  cry  that  newspaper  publishers 
"believe"  in  advertising  only  when  others  advertise. 


Advertising  for  Advertising  133 

Such  an  advertising  policy  will  render  service 
just  as  truly  as  the  service  rendered  through  the 
editorial  columns.  And  it  will  pay  publishers 
through  increased  and  permanent  patronage. 


STAMPED  BELOW 


AN  INITIAL  FINE  OF  25  CENTS 

WILL  BE  ASSESSED  FOR  FAILURE  TO  RETURN 
THIS  BOOK  ON  THE  DATE  DUE.  THE  PENALTY 
WILL  INCREASE  TO  5O  CENTS  ON  THE  FOURTH 
DAY  AND  TO  $I.OO  ON  THE  SEVENTH  DAY 
OVERDUE. 


JAN 


T    a   Vfr* 


MAY  1  t9g 


-ys. 


FEB  11 


FEB  11    1937 


REC'D  LD 


l  01941 


wv-t^ 


AR  18  1946 


-:    - 


JUL 


=?EC'D  LD 


LD  21-100m-8,'34 


ITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


_ 


